Houston will look to improve on its 37-79 record when take on Texas, a key part of the MLB odds lineup on Monday.

Yu Darvish, with a record of 11-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Rangers, while the Astros trot Brett Oberholtzer to the mound in this one. He is 2-0 so far in 2013.



View Texas vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Astros as +235 underdogs on the moneyline for this contest. The over under was hovering near 8 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 15-ranked Astros and the American League No. 2-rated Rangers in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Houston owns the No. 15 ranking for hits in the American League at 7.9 per game. By contrast, the Rangers are rated No. 5 in the same category at 9 per game.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Houston has the American League's No. 15-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Rangers own the American League's No. 4 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Texas was a 6-1 Sportsbook on the road against the Astros. Bettors on Texas at -165 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. The Rangers grabbed a win last time out, defeating Dallas Keuchel and the Astros 6-1 on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.




Texas Rangers Trends:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Milwaukee are 4-4
After playing Houston are 8-2
After a win are 9-1

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Oakland are 2-8
After playing Texas are 1-9
After a loss are 2-8

A few Rangers at Astros trends to consider:
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Texas is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games when playing Texas


Next up:
Texas home to Milwaukee, Tuesday, August 13
Houston at Oakland, Tuesday, August 13