Cole Hamels hasn’t exactly been the ace of the Texas Rangers rotation this season but the team has done very little to help out the southpaw either. Hamels, who has a pedestrian 3.94 ERA on the year, has gotten an average of just 3.13 runs of support in his eight starts. That is the sixth-lowest run support any pitcher with eight or more starts has in the MLB this season. Can the Rangers help out Hamels or is he doomed to take another loss against the Houston Astros on Friday?
- The Rangers are 0-6 SU in their last 6 games with Cole Hamels as the starting pitcher.
- The Rangers are 3-12 SU and 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games when Sportsbook a series.
- The Astros are 14-4 SU in their last 18 games with Justin Verlander as the starting pitcher.
Getting their bats going in this one will be a tall task for the Rangers, as they are set to face Justin Verlander. Verlander, who has a 1.17 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP on the year, has held Texas to one run with 16 strikeouts in 14.0 innings this season. To go further back, since the start of the 2015 season, Verlander has posted a 2.21 ERA in eight starts against the Rangers.
To make matters worse for the Rangers, the team has gone just 3-12 SU in its last 15 series-Sportsbook games. On the bright side, two of those three wins came in their last two series openers against the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Houston was a -248 moneyline favorite earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made oddsmakers at Sportsbook pick an Sportsbook OVER/UNDER number of 8.
OddsShark prediction models pick the Astros to win this game 4.9-1.1. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Houston Astros bring a 24-15 record to the battle against the 15-24 Rangers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Houston vs Texas injuries news.
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Astros rated this week at No. 1 and the Rangers sitting at No. 23.
Statistical Matchup
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features the Houston Astros' No. 8-ranked scoring average of 4.87 runs per game, against a Texas Rangers offense rated No. 21 and scoring 4.1 runs per game. The Astros have averaged 8.85 hits per game to date this season, more than the Rangers hitters have managed (7.92 per nine innings).
Texas brings the No. 27-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Astros' No. 1-ranked defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Texas needed extra innings to get the job done against the Tigers on Wednesday as the Rangers defeated them 5-4 at Globe Life Park.
The Astros grabbed a win last time out, defeating Daniel Mengden and the Athletics 4-1 on Wednesday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
- Texas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Texas's last 10 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games on the road
- Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
- Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games
- Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Texas at Houston, Saturday, May 12
