Texas Rangers at Houston Astros MLB Point Spread Picks 7/19/2019

Friday, July 19, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Mike Minor vs. Justin Verlander

Elvis Andrus and the Texas Rangers (50-46, 3rd in AL West) travel to Minute Maid Park on Friday where they'll meet the Houston Astros (60-37, 1st in AL West). The Rangers open this matchup at +203 while the Astros are coming in at -220. The total is set at 9.

The Rangers have been inconsistent for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 50-46-0 SU. The Astros cover 61.9% of the time, going 60-37-0 straight up. The Astros have been an excellent option for wagerers as favorites, going 58-32-0 SU. The Rangers cover 46.4% of the time as the underdog, having gone 32-37-0 straight up.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Rangers have been a decent Under choice for O/U baseball wagerers, having gone 47-47-2.

The Rangers cover 43.2% of the time away from home, having gone 19-25-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros cover 70.2% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 33-14-0 SU.

The Astros have been a decent Under choice for O/U baseball wagerers, having gone 44-49-4.

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

7/17/2019 Kyle Dowdy RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 23
7/16/2019 Jesse Biddle RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
7/15/2019 Clayton Blackburn RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 31
7/13/2019 Taylor Hearn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/12/2019 Yohander Mendez RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
7/11/2019 Luke Farrell SP Jaw Expected to be out until at least Jul 23
7/8/2019 Isiah Kiner-Falefa C Finger Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/28/2019 Jeffrey Springs RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
5/22/2019 Edinson Volquez SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 2

Key Houston Astros Injuries

7/17/2019 Yordan Alvarez DH Knee Probable for Jul 18
7/15/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jul 22
7/14/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
7/12/2019 Carlos Correa SS Ribs Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 50-46 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Mike Minor has a 8-4 record with an earned run average of 2.73 and a WHIP of 1.16 this season. He has 121 strikeouts over his 122 innings pitched and he's given up 98 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.82. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.87 and they have given up 376 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the bullpen and they've struck out 345 hitters and walked 158 batters. As a team, Texas allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.03. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 911 base hits and 480 earned runs. They have allowed 141 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 341 batters and struck out 818. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.79.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .251, good for 16th in the league. The Rangers hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Elvis Andrus is hitting .296 with an on-base percentage of .335. He has 103 hits this season in 348 at bats with 48 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .437 and an OPS+ of 96. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .285 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .384. He has totaled 97 hits and he has driven in 38 men in 340 at bats. His OPS+ is 124 while his slugging percentage is at .497. The Rangers have 825 hits, including 193 doubles and 137 home runs. Texas has walked 338 times so far this season and they have struck out 966 times as a unit. They have left 629 men on base and have a team OPS of .770. They score 5.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 515 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 60-37 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.98, Justin Verlander has a 11-4 record and a 0.81 WHIP. He has 160 strikeouts over the 132.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 80 hits. He's allowing 5.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.07. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 281 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 353 batters and walked 123 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.94. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 729 base knocks and 382 earned runs this season. They have given up 148 home runs this year, which ranks 5th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 279 hitters and struck out 974 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.16 while their FIP as a staff is 4.24.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .270, good for 3rd in the league. The Astros hold a .471 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .324 with an OBP of .382. He has 116 hits this year along with 51 RBI in 358 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .508 with an OPS+ of 135. George Springer is hitting .302 this season and he has an OBP of .389. He has collected 77 hits in 255 at bats while driving in 53 runs. He has an OPS+ of 159 and a slugging percentage of .600. The Astros as a unit have 901 base hits, including 183 doubles and 153 homers. Houston has walked 373 times this year and they have struck out on 684 occasions. They have had 700 men left on base and have an OPS of .817. They have scored 5.2 runs per game and totaled 504 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers +203

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