Texas Rangers at Houston Astros MLB Tips 9/18/2019

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kolby Allard vs. Gerrit Cole

Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros (98-53, 1st in AL West) host the Texas Rangers (74-77, 3rd in AL West) at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The Rangers open this contest at +420 while the Astros are coming in at -485. The total opens at 8.5.

The Rangers have been hot and cold for Las Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 74-77-0 SU. Houston is covering 64.9% of the time, going 98-53-0 straight up.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Rangers have been an inconsistent Under choice for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 68-79-4.

Texas is covering 42.1% of the time away from home, having gone 32-44-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

Houston is covering 73.7% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 56-20-0 SU.

The Astros have been an inconsistent Under choice for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 67-78-6.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

9/16/2019 Jesse Biddle RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/16/2019 Jeff Mathis C Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/15/2019 Logan Forsythe 1B Ribs Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/12/2019 Hunter Pence DH Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/11/2019 Joey Gallo CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
8/26/2019 Jesse Chavez RP Elbow Out for the season
8/15/2019 Clayton Blackburn RP Elbow Out for the season
8/5/2019 Taylor Hearn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
5/13/2019 Nate Jones RP Forearm Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/15/2019 Ryan Pressly RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/15/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/14/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/9/2019 Collin McHugh RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/5/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Shoulder Out for the season
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 74-77 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kolby Allard has a 4-0 record with an earned run average of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.50 this season. He has 30 strikeouts over his 37.1 innings pitched and he's given up 42 hits. He's allowed 10.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.16. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.63 and they have given up 579 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .254 against the bullpen and they've struck out 568 hitters and walked 253 batters. As a team, Texas allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.95. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 1,404 base hits and 738 earned runs. They have allowed 219 home runs this season, ranking them 12th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 540 batters and struck out 1,273. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 4.80.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .247, good for 19th in the league. The Rangers hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .268 with an on-base percentage of .370. He has 142 hits this season in 530 at bats with 57 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .455 and an OPS+ of 108. Elvis Andrus is hitting .272 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .311. He has totaled 152 hits and he has driven in 67 men in 558 at bats. His OPS+ is 76 while his slugging percentage is at .387. The Rangers have 1,281 hits, including 280 doubles and 205 home runs. Texas has walked 497 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,481 times as a unit. They have left 1,001 men on base and have a team OPS of .748. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 754 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 98-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.62, Gerrit Cole has a 17-5 record and a 0.91 WHIP. He has 292 strikeouts over the 192.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 130 hits. He's allowing 6.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.85 and they have given up 447 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 560 batters and walked 182 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,135 base knocks and 565 earned runs this season. They have given up 221 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 421 hitters and struck out 1,547 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 4.07.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .276, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .494 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .354, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.6 hits per contest. Alex Bregman comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .420. He has 153 hits this year along with 104 RBI in 518 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .579 with an OPS+ of 159. Michael Brantley is hitting .321 this season and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 175 hits in 545 at bats while driving in 86 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .516. The Astros as a unit have 1,447 base hits, including 304 doubles and 262 homers. Houston has walked 600 times this year and they have struck out on 1,089 occasions. They have had 1,088 men left on base and have an OPS of .848. They have scored 5.72 runs per game and totaled 863 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros (-485)

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