The Astros will be trying to slam their rivals from the other league on Thursday, as the Texas Rangers visit in inter-league play at Minute Maid Park.

Wandy Rodriguez gets the call for the Houston Astros and he will try to build on a 5-4 mark. In the other dugout, Matt Harrison brings a 6-6 ledger to the game for the Rangers as he tries to quiet the Astros bats.



View Texas vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Astros in this one will find them as +120 underdogs on the MLB money line. Betting the over under instead? It was hovering near 8 at its open earlier today.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 15-ranked Astros and the American League No. 3-rated Rangers in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Houston's National League No. 9-ranked scoring average of 4 runs per game, against a Rangers offense rated No. 3 and scoring 4.7 runs per game in the league. The Astros have averaged 9 hits per game to date this season, less than the Rangers hitters have managed (9.2 per nine innings).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Houston has the National League's No. 16-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Rangers own the American League's No. 9 mark in runs allowed.

The Rangers were a 3-2 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Astros. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Texas at -130 on the moneyline, while the total score (5) was good news for UNDER bettors. Texas rolled to a 3-2 win against Houston on Wednesday, as Colby Lewis and the Rangers' bats led the team to victory at Minute Maid Park.




Texas Rangers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Florida are 6-4
After playing Houston are 8-2
After a win are 4-6

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Boston are 2-4
After playing Texas are 2-8
After a loss are 2-8

A few Rangers at Astros trends to consider:
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Texas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas' last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games at home
Houston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Texas
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
Texas home to Florida, Friday, July 1
Houston home to Boston, Friday, July 1