Texas Rangers at Houston Astros 4/14/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Mike Minor vs. Charlie Morton

The Texas Rangers visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday, April 14, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Mike Minor for the Rangers and Charlie Morton for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +210 and Houston at -228. The Rangers have a 6-7-1 over/under record and a 4-10-0 run line mark. The Astros are 7-6-0 against the run line and have a 4-9-0 over/under record.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 6-7-1 against the over/under

The Texas Rangers are 4-10-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 4-9-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 7-6-0 against the run line

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

04/11/18 P Doug Fister Hip 10-day DL (04/10)
04/11/18 SS Elvis Andrus Elbow is out indefinitely
04/10/18 2B Rougned Odor Hamstring 10-day DL (04/10)
04/02/18 P Ricardo Rodriguez Elbow 60-day DL (04/02)
04/01/18 CF Delino DeShields Hand 10-day DL (03/31)
03/30/18 P Joe Palumbo Elbow 60-day DL (02/23)
03/26/18 P Clayton Blackburn Elbow 60-day DL (03/19)
03/26/18 P Ronald Herrera Shoulder 60-day DL (03/21)
03/26/18 P Tim Lincecum Blister 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

04/11/18 P Tony Sipp Oblique 10-day DL (04/08)
04/03/18 1B Yulieski Gurriel Hand 10-day DL (04/03)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 4-10 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Mike Minor has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 2.53 and a WHIP of 0.84 this season. He has 12 strikeouts over his 10.2 innings pitched and he's given up 5 hits. He's allowed 4.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.41. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 54 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the bullpen and they've struck out 51 hitters and walked 23 batters. As a team, Texas allows 10 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.94. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 138 base hits and 68 earned runs. They have allowed 14 home runs this season, ranking them 12th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 53 batters and struck out 115. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.54 and their FIP as a unit is 4.12.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .230, good for 21st in the league. The Rangers hold a .348 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.6 hits per game. Nomar Mazara is hitting .306 with an on-base percentage of .358. He has 15 hits this season in 49 at bats with 2 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .388 and an OPS+ of 107. Elvis Andrus is hitting .327 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .426. He has totaled 17 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 52 at bats. His OPS+ is 156 while his slugging percentage is at .500. The Rangers have 106 hits, including 21 doubles and 11 home runs. Texas has walked 47 times so far this season and they have struck out 113 times as a unit. They have left 101 men on base and have a team OPS of .655. They score 3.14 runs per contest and have scored a total of 44 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 9-4 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 0.00, Charlie Morton has a 2-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 12 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 7 hits. He's allowing 5.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.62. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.14 and they have given up 33 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 47 batters and walked 12 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 11 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.57. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 97 base knocks and 33 earned runs this season. They have given up 9 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 43 hitters and struck out 141 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 11 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 2.82.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 6th in the league. The Astros hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .353 with an OBP of .393. He has 18 hits this year along with 4 RBI in 51 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .392 with an OPS+ of 135. Carlos Correa is hitting .317 this season and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 13 hits in 41 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 163 and a slugging percentage of .561. The Astros as a unit have 109 base hits, including 21 doubles and 11 homers. Houston has walked 54 times this year and they have struck out on 122 occasions. They have had 98 men left on base and have an OPS of .730. They have scored 4.46 runs per game and totaled 58 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rangers/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers +210

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