The Texas Rangers (8-6) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (4-11) on Saturday, April 13th. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on BSSW. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Astros are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 4:05 ET.

Rangers vs Astros

Thanks to a six-run 3rd inning for the Rangers’ offense, they cruised to a 12-8 win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Rangers were at +104 on the money line.

The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Dane Dunning for the Rangers, and he went just five innings while giving up three runs and striking out three. J.P. France only went four innings for the Astros, giving up eight runs on eight hits.

Texas got a huge performance from Jonah Heim, as he went 1/5 with a home run and four RBIs. Both Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager each drove in two for the Rangers’ offense.

The Rangers head into today’s game vs. the Astros with an 8-6 record, good or 1st place in the AL West. The Rangers hold a half-game lead over the Angels heading into today’s game. So far, the Rangers have yet to play a game on the road, as they are 3-1 at home.

Looking at Texas’ series record, they are 2-1-1 this season. Texas just picked up a series win over the Astros and, prior to that, dropped their series vs. the Athletics. As the underdog, the Rangers have won four straight, and they are 5-1 this season when listed as the underdog.

The Rangers have been a solid bet on the run line this season, as they are 7-7 overall. They have been particularly good on the run line on the road, going 3-1. They have a run line win streak of two games on the road and have covered the run line in four straight games as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is 5.0, while it is -2.7 in losing games.

So far this season, the Texas Rangers have had 14 games with over/under lines set. The over/under record for the Rangers is 6-8. The average over/under line in their games has been 9 runs. Their games have averaged 9.6 runs per game. Today’s over/under line is set at 9.5 runs. In the four games this season where the over/under line has been set at 9.5 runs, the over/under record is 1-1. The percentage of their games this season where the over/under line has been set at 9.5 runs is 28.6%.

Andrew Heaney Gets The Start For The Rangers

Andrew Heaney is on the mound for the Rangers today as they take on the Astros. Heaney has started two games this season and has taken the loss in both. Heaney’s first start was on the road against the Rays, where he went 4 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 7. However, his last start was against the Astros, and he gave up 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Rangers Offense Breakdown

For the Rangers, we like Corey Seager to have a strong game at the plate. Seager has the best hits projection on the team and the 16th best in the league today. He also has the 3rd best odds to hit a home run on the team and 3rd best in the league today. Adolis García is our top projected home run hitter for the Rangers and in the entire league today. Marcus Semien has the 2nd best hits projection on the team and 19th best in the league today.

The Astros are really struggling right now, as they are on a four-game losing streak and have a record of 4-11. In the AL West, they are in 5th place and trail the Rangers by 4.5 games. So far, they have been really bad as the favorite, going 2-11, and they have lost six straight games as the favorite.

At home, the Astros are 2-6 and just a bit better at 2-5 on the road. Coming into today’s game, they have a series record of 1-2-1.

When it comes to the run line, the Astros have been a team to fade so far this season. They are just 4-11 against the run line, including a 2-6 mark at home. They have been the favorite in 13 games and have gone just 2-11 against the run line in those contests. Their average run margin in winning games is 6.2, while it drops to -4.4 in losses.

So far this season, the Astros have played 14 games with an average combined run total of 9.9 runs per game. Their over/under record is 6-8, and their average over/under line is 9 runs. In games with an over/under line of 9.5 runs, their record is 1-1. Overall, 60% of their games have had lower lines than 9.5 runs. Their current over streak is at 3 games.

Ronel Blanco Gets The Start For The Astros

Ronel Blanco has been off to a great start to the season, with a complete game shutout in his first start and then a win in his second outing. Blanco has only given up one hit in each of his first two starts and has a total of 11 strikeouts.

Astros Offense Breakdown

For the Astros, we have Jose Altuve as our top projected hitter in terms of total hits, as he comes in 5th in the league in terms of total hits projections. Yordan Alvarez is our top projected home run hitter on the team and 4th in the league in terms of home run projections. José Abreu is 12th in the league in terms of total hits projections, and his home run projection is 8th in the league.

Rangers vs Astros Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Rangers vs. Astros matchup is that the Astros will pick up a 5-4 win at home. If you’re looking for a recommended bet, we suggest taking the Astros on the money line, where the payout is at -147.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Ronel Blanco finishing with four strikeouts compared to Andrew Heaney with six. Blanco is projected to go six innings, while Heaney is projected to go just five.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.