The Major League Baseball All-Star Break will wrap up on Thursday, and the games will start up again. The Houston Astros will be in Arlington, Texas, this weekend for a series against the Rangers, starting with the series opener Thursday. Houston came into the All-Star break playing great baseball, while the Rangers are hoping that the break will help them regroup and recharge for a second-half run.
The Houston Astros have a commanding 7.5-game lead in the American League West Division, and they look like a strong contender to win the World Series. Houston comes into this game with a record of 57-33. Texas is still in the Wild Card race in the American League even after losing six of eight games before the break. The Rangers bring a 48-42 record into this game and sit in third place in the division. Texas is +114 in the series opener against the Houston Astros.
Astros Looking For Pitching Depth
The Houston Astros do a lot of things really well, but they are going to need some help in the starting rotation. Houston has a pair of dominant starters in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, but they are looking for some more depth. Framber Valdez is penciled in to start this game, but that could be changed in the hours before game time. Valdez is just 3-4 with a 4.57 earned run average in 18 appearances this season.
Houston has battled a ton of injuries throughout the season, but they still have one of the top offenses in the American League. All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman leads the team with 23 home runs and 56 runs batted in. Fellow All-Star Michael Brantley leads the team with 108 hits and a .324 batting average and has been a star in Houston. The Astros should score a ton of runs in this series.
Rangers Can Score Some Runs
Even though the Rangers don’t have as many All-Stars in their lineup as the Houston Astros, Texas can score some runs as well. Texas does have a few big hitters in their lineup in Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. Gallo blasted a home run in the 2019 All-Star Game and leads the Rangers with 20 home runs this season. Mazara has driven in a team-high 49 runs this season and has hit a few mammoth blasts.
Lance Lynn will be on the mound for the Rangers in the series opener, and he has found new life in Texas. Lynn has won his last five decisions and has pitched well against the Astros already this season. The hard-throwing right-hander is 11-4 with an ERA of 3.91 and is a big part of the Rangers’ resurgence this season. Lynn will have his hands full with a terrific Astros lineup on Thursday night.
Texas Wins Series Opener
Houston is probably going to win this series over the Rangers, but that doesn’t mean they are going to win on Thursday night. The Rangers will have their ace on the mound in this game, and Lynn should carry the team to victory. Bet the Texas Rangers +114 over the Houston Astros on Thursday night.
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