Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Odds and Preview - 09/13/2021

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Monday, September 13, 2021

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to Watch:  BSSW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -190, Rangers +160; Over/Under:  NL runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -180, Rangers +160; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -200, Rangers +170; Over/Under:  9 runs

 

Houston Astros:  82-59 (1st place, AL West)

Texas Rangers:  52-89 (5th place, AL West)

 

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Houston Astros:  4-6 last 10

Texas Rangers:  6-4 last 10

 

 

 

 

The Houston Astros are ranked 1 in the league for batting average (.268), 2 in the league for RBI (715), 1 in the league for hits (1303), and they are ranked 1 in the league for OBP (.339). The Texas Rangers are ranked 29 in the league for batting average (.231), 29 in the league for RBI (528), 28 in the league for hits (1086), and they are ranked 30 in the league for OBP (.294).

 

 

The Houston Astros are ranked 4 in the league for ERA (3.74), 22 in the league for saves (31), 13 in the league for strikeouts (1278), and they are ranked 9 in the league for WHIP (1.23). The Texas Rangers are ranked 22 in the league for ERA (4.67), 27 in the league for saves (25), 29 in the league for strikeouts (1079), and they are ranked 19 in the league for WHIP (1.34).

The Houston Astros are taking on the Texas Rangers in a four-game series beginning on Monday in this American League battle between division rivals. Both teams have their respective Sunday games still to be played. The Astros lost on Saturday to the Los Angeles Angels 4-2. The Rangers won on Saturday 8-6 against the Oakland Athletics.

The Astros are coming into this contest after losing 2 of their last 3 games with the series finale of their three-game series against the Halos still pending. Lance McCullers Jr was given the nod on Sunday while right-hander Jake Odorizzi will be the starting pitcher on the mound in this Monday game. Odorizzi is 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA this season. He was credited with a loss the last time there was a decision but the team has won 3 of his last 4 starts. In his last start, he allowed 2 ER and 0 BB with 3 Ks on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Seattle Mariners. He has seen this Rangers lineup 3 times this year and every time there was a no-decision but the team is 3-0 in those games. He only allowed 5 earned runs total between all 3 of those games. The Astros have scored 17 runs in their last 3 games averaging almost 6 runs scored per game. They only scored 2 on Saturday but this is a team that can always be counted on in the hitting department.

The Rangers are coming into this game after winning 5 of their last 6 games, including a two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their series finale against the A's is still to be played on Sunday. Taylor Hearn was named the starter in that one while rookie pitcher A.J. Alexy will be throwing the first pitch for them in this game on Monday. Alexy is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA this season. He has only played in the 2 MLB games ever and was credited with the win both times, once against the Colorado Rockies and once against the Angels. In his last outing, he allowed 0 ER and 2 BB with 7 Ks on 1 hit through 6 innings of work. He has never faced the Astros in his career so he has a bit of an advantage as they do not know what exactly he will be throwing their way. The Rangers have been smacking the ball recently though, putting up 21 runs in their last 3 games averaging 7 runs scored per game. He will definitely get the run support he needs in this one to get another win under his belt if he pitches another great game with no runs allowed.

The value in this game is on a bet on Texas. Both of these teams are hitting the ball well right now so this one may just come down to the pitching. The Rangers have a slight advantage with their rookie, not only because he has done so well in his first 2 starts, but also because he is new to the league and there is not much data for the Astros to go on with how he pitches. That could be the deciding factor here so a wager on the Rangers as a huge underdog may just be the way to go here as they may come out of this game as the winners.

 

Astros Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Monday, Sep 13, 2021 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Rangers 8 Astros 4.

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Houston Astros: 45-28 (-10.9 units) on the money line as a favorite of -150 or more. 31-28 (-17.2 units) on the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5.

Texas Rangers: 52-89 (-16.8 units) on the money line in all games. 44-77 (-10.2 units) on the money line as an underdog of +100 or higher.

 

 

Houston Astros:  M. Brantley (LF) day-to-day - Undisclosed injury. Z. Greinke (SP) Prob Tues - Illness. P. Baez (RP) Late Sept - Shoulder injury.

Texas Rangers:  K. Allard (SP) Ques Sun - Illness. M. Bush (RP) Late Sept - Arm injury. K. Cody (RP) Late Sept - Shoulder injury.

 

 

Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez is one player to watch in this game as he leads his team in homers and in RBI. He can produce a lot of offense and will want to start heating up as the playoffs lurk just around the corner.

 

Texas Rangers: Adolis Garcia is one player to watch in this game. He leads his team in HR and in RBI. Texas will need a lot of offense to beat this heavy hitting Astros team so look for him to bring in the base runners when he gets to the plate.

 

"It wasn't a matter of us struggling, it was a matter of him having a quality start. That was one of the best games we've had pitched against us in a while." Dusty Baker on Angels pitcher Jose Suarez after a 4-2 loss to them on Saturday.

 

 

"I don't think I've ever hit a ball that far. As a young team and young guys, it shows you can win a ballgame at any time. It just proves to these guys to stay on course and keep fighting until the last out." - Jonah Heim on hitting the game winning home run against Oakland on Saturday night.

 

 

 

J. Altuve (2B)

M. Brantley (LF)

A. Bregman (3B)

Y. Alvarez (DH)

Y. Gurriel (1B)

C. Correa (SS)

K. Tucker (RF)

J. Meyers (CF)

M. Maldonado (C)

 

L. Taveras (CF)

I. Kiner-Falefa (SS)

A. Garcia (RF)

D. Peters (LF)

N. Lowe (1B)

N. Solak (2B)

Y. Pozo (DH)

J. Heim (C)

C. Culberson (3B)

 

 

Batting Average:  M. Brantley (.315)

Hits:  M. Brantley (143)

Home Runs:  Y. Alvarez (28)

RBI:  Y. Alvarez (91)

Stolen Bases:  K. Tucker (13)

Wins:  L. McCullers Jr. (11)

Saves:  R. Pressly (23)

ERA:  K. Graveman (1.65)

 

Batting Average:  Y. Pozo (.290)

Hits:  I. Kiner-Falefa (146)

Home Runs:  J. Garcia (29)

RBI:  J. Garcia (79)

Stolen Bases:  I. Kiner-Falefa (16)

Wins:  J. Lyles (8)

Saves:  J. Barlow (5)

ERA:  A. Alexy (0.00)

 

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (2nd season)

Texas Rangers: Chris Woodward (3rd season)

 

83 degrees F partly cloudy, 63% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 12 mph wind speeds NW.