Texas Rangers at Houston Astros MLB Point Spread Picks 7/20/2019

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ariel Jurado vs. Jose Urquidy

Minute Maid Park is the site where George Springer and the Houston Astros (61-37, 1st in AL West) will play the Texas Rangers (50-46, 3rd in AL West) on Saturday. The moneyline on this contest has the Rangers coming in at +178 and the Astros are at -190. The O/U opens at 9.5.

The Rangers have been less than ideal for oddsmakers, having gone 50-46-0 SU. The Astros cover 62.2% of the time, going 61-37-0 straight up. The Astros have been strong for baseball wagerers as favorites, going 59-32-0 SU. Texas covers 46.4% of the time as an underdog, having gone 32-37-0 straight up.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Rangers have been a pretty good Under pick for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 47-47-2.

The Rangers cover 43.2% of the time on the road, 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 pretty good Under pick for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 44-50-4.

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

7/15/2019 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 Ariel Jurado has a 5-5 record with an earned run average of 4.63 and a WHIP of 1.43 this season. He has 51 strikeouts over his 70 innings pitched and he's given up 78 hits. He's allowed 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.02 and they have given up 392 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the bullpen and they've struck out 354 hitters and walked 165 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. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .285 with an on-base percentage of .384. He has 97 hits this season in 340 at bats with 38 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .497 and an OPS+ of 124. Elvis Andrus is hitting .296 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .335. He has totaled 103 hits and he has driven in 48 men in 348 at bats. His OPS+ is 96 while his slugging percentage is at .437. 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 61-37 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 10.50, Jose Urquidy has a 0-0 record and a 2.50 WHIP. He has 8 strikeouts over the 6 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 14 hits. He's allowing 21 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.22. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.82 and they have given up 287 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .225 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 362 batters and walked 124 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. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .302 with an OBP of .389. He has 77 hits this year along with 53 RBI in 255 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .600 with an OPS+ of 159. Michael Brantley is hitting .324 this season and he has an OBP of .382. He has collected 116 hits in 358 at bats while driving in 51 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .508. 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 +178

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