Houston Astros at Texas Rangers MLB Game Picks 4/20/2019

Saturday, April 20, 2019
Globe Life Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Adrian Sampson
The Houston Astros visit Globe Life Park on Saturday, April 20, 2019 to play the Texas Rangers. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Astros and Adrian Sampson for the Rangers.
The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -225 and Texas at +207. The Astros have a 6-12-0 over/under record and a 7-11-0 run line mark. The Rangers are 11-6-0 against the run line and have a 9-8-0 over/under record.
Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 6-12-0 against the over/under
The Houston Astros are 7-11-0 against the run line
Important Texas Rangers Betting Trends
The Texas Rangers are 9-8-0 against the over/under
The Texas Rangers are 11-6-0 against the run line
Key Houston Astros Injuries
03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season
Key Texas Rangers Injuries
04/13/19 P Edinson Volquez Elbow 60-day IL (04/05)
04/13/19 2B Rougned Odor Knee 10-day IL (04/13)
04/07/19 1B Ronald Guzman Hamstring 10-day IL (04/07)
04/01/19 P Yohander Mendez Elbow 60-day IL (04/01)
03/25/19 P Luke Farrell Jaw 60-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 RF Scott Heineman Shoulder 60-day IL
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Astros have a 12-6 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 3.24 and a WHIP of 0.92 this season. He has 36 strikeouts over his 25 innings pitched and he's given up 17 hits. He's allowed 6.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.5. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.61 and they have given up 35 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .188 against the bullpen and they've struck out 61 hitters and walked 14 batters. As a team, Houston allows 6.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 113 base hits and 52 earned runs. They have allowed 17 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 38 batters and struck out 173. They have walked 2.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 10 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.97 and their FIP as a unit is 3.15.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Houston is hitting .271, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .456 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 9.1 hits per game. George Springer is hitting .254 with an on-base percentage of .341. He has 18 hits this season in 71 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .493 and an OPS+ of 128. Michael Brantley is hitting .299 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .365. He has totaled 20 hits and he has driven in 12 men in 67 at bats. His OPS+ is 121 while his slugging percentage is at .433. The Astros have 163 hits, including 31 doubles and 26 home runs. Houston has walked 67 times so far this season and they have struck out 138 times as a unit. They have left 133 men on base and have a team OPS of .803. They score 4.28 runs per contest and have scored a total of 77 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Texas has a 10-7 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.93, Adrian Sampson has a 0-1 record and a 1.61 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 13.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 16 hits. He's allowing 10.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.18. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.62 and they have given up 63 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Rangers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 53 batters and walked 30 opposing hitters. As a team, Texas allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 5.12. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 155 base knocks and 85 earned runs this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year, which ranks 9th in Major League Baseball. Texas as a staff has walked 72 hitters and struck out 120 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.52 while their FIP as a staff is 5.36.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .250, good for 16th in the league. The Rangers hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Shin-Soo Choo comes into this matchup batting .345 with an OBP of .446. He has 19 hits this year along with 8 RBI in 55 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .600 with an OPS+ of 173. Elvis Andrus is hitting .386 this season and he has an OBP of .411. He has collected 27 hits in 70 at bats while driving in 13 runs. He has an OPS+ of 162 and a slugging percentage of .600. The Rangers as a unit have 139 base hits, including 29 doubles and 23 homers. Texas has walked 63 times this year and they have struck out on 158 occasions. They have had 103 men left on base and have an OPS of .781. They have scored 5.53 runs per game and totaled 94 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Astros/Rangers MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Rangers +207
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