Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/18/2023

Game Time: 8:03 pm ET, Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +110, Rangers -130; Over/Under:  9 runs

Houston Astros:  90-72 (1st place, AL West)

Texas Rangers:  90-72 (2nd place, AL West)

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Houston Astros:  7-3 last 10

Texas Rangers:  8-2 last 10

The Astros are entering this series on a 2 game winning streak and won their best 3 out of 5 game series against the Minnesota Twins 3-1 in the AL Division Series. They finished the regular season with a 90-72 record overall and had a road record of 51-30. This is the 3rd game of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Rangers on Wednesday for the ALCS and they lost game 1 and game 2 of this series on Sunday and Monday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .768 OPS. Framber Valdez was their starting pitcher on Monday while Cristian Javier is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 10-5 with a 4.56 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB playoff start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 5 BB with 9 strikeouts on 1 hit through 5 innings played against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rangers are entering this series on a 5 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their best 3 out of 5 game series against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. They finished the regular season with a 90-72 record overall and had a home record of 50-31. This is the 3rd game of a best 4 out of 7 game series with the Astros on Wednesday for the AL Championship Series and they won game 1 and game 2 of this series on Sunday and Monday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .789 OPS. Nathan Eovaldi was their starting pitcher on Monday while Max Scherzer is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 2 Ks on 3 hits through 5.1 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rangers have opened this series with a 2-0 lead after winning both of their road games in Houston. The Rangers have been the best team in the playoffs so far as they have won all 7 of their games played and their offense has been really good but their pitching has also been great too. The Astros were a much better road team all season so they do have that going for them here but they are also rolling out Javier for this game and he hasn't pitched well against the Rangers this season. The Rangers are on a roll right now and they are a really tough team to fade until they lose a game with how well they have been playing. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game and take a 3-0 series lead. 

Astros Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, October 18, 2023 (8:03 pm ET start time) is Rangers 4 Astros 0.

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Houston Astros: 35-33 (-11.5 units) on the moneyline after a game where the bullpen gave up no earned runs. 93-75 (-11.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 16-5 OVER after a one run loss. 7-2 OVER after batting .200 or worse over a 3 game span.

Texas Rangers: 97-72 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 22-8 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline after a win by 2 runs or less. 44-24 OVER as a home favorite of -125 to -175. 12-6 OVER when leading in a playoff series.

Houston Astros:  K. Graveman (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Texas Rangers:  J. Gray (SP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. B. Miller (DH) out for season - Hamstring. J. Odorizzi (SP) out for season - Shoulder. 

“I thought my pitches were good. Maybe they got a little bit lucky. There were a couple of balls that weren't hit that well for base hits.” - Framber Valdez after their loss against the Rangers in game 2 of this series on Monday.

“You’re talking about one of the elite pitchers in the game. They have that ability to turn up a notch when they had to. We made an error, bases loaded, and it’s about picking each other up, and he picked us up there and made great pitches.” - Bruce Bochy after his team’s win against the Astros in game 2 of this series on Monday.

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Michael Brantley (L) LF

Chas McCormick (R) CF

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Corey Seager (L) SS

Robbie Grossman (S) LF

Adolis Garcia (R) RF

Mitch Garver (R) DH

Jonah Heim (S) C

Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B

Josh Jung (R) 3B

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Batting Average:  Jose Altuve (.311)

Hits:  Alex Bregman (163)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (31)

RBI:  Kyle Tucker (112)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (30)

Wins:  Framber Valdez (12)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (31)

ERA:  Bennett Sousa (0.00)

Batting Average:  Corey Seager (.327)

Hits:  Marcus Semien (185)

Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia (39)

RBI:  Adolis Garcia (107)

Stolen Bases:  Travis Jankowski (19)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (12)

Saves:  Will Smith (22)

ERA:  Jake Latz (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (1st season)