Astros vs. Rangers Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/21/2022

The Houston Astros will look to pick up their 26th win of the season when they take on the Texas Rangers (18-20) Saturday. The game begins at 7:10 PM ET, with the Astros listed as -253 favorites on the moneyline. Houston’s Justin Verlander and Texas’ Jon Gray have been named the starters for this contest.

Astros vs. Rangers Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Astros vs. Rangers

Our computer pick: Texas Rangers (+205) and Over (7.5)

Astros vs. Rangers Game Info

• Houston Astros probable starting pitcher: Justin Verlander
• Texas Rangers probable starting pitcher: Jon Gray
• Game Day: Saturday, May 21, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stadium: Minute Maid Park

Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Pitching Matchup

Astros Starter Justin Verlander

• Verlander (5-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Astros, his eighth of the season.
• In his most recent appearance on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, the righty threw five scoreless innings while surrendering two hits.
• In seven games this season, the 39-year-old has put up an ERA of 1.38, with 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting only .147 against him.
• Verlander is looking to record his sixth quality start of the year.
• Verlander will try to continue an eight-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 6.2 frames per outing).
• He meets a Rangers offense that ranks 18th in the league with 158 runs while batting .220 as a squad. It has a collective .354 slugging percentage (24th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 40 home runs (10th in MLB).
• In seven innings over one appearance against the Rangers this season, Verlander has a 1.29 ERA and a 0.571 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .167.
• Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 39-year-old’s 1.38 ERA ranks second, .679 WHIP ranks first, and 8.1 K/9 ranks 30th.

Rangers Starter Jon Gray

• The Rangers will hand the ball to Gray (1-1) for his sixth start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up four earned runs and allowed eight hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.
• The 30-year-old has an ERA of 5.73 and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .250 in five games this season.
• In five starts this season, Gray has not yet earned a quality start.
• In five starts, Gray has pitched through or past the fifth inning two times. He has a season average of 4.1 frames per outing.
• The Astros rank 18th in MLB with a .231 batting average this season. They have a team slugging percentage that ranks fifth in the league (.412) and 56 home runs.

Astros Betting Picks & Insights

• The Astros have been favorites in 30 games this season and won 21 (70%) of those contests.
• Houston has not entered a game this season as a bigger favorite on the moneyline than the -253 odds on them winning this game.
• The bookmakers’ moneyline implies a 71.7% chance of a victory for the Astros.
• So far this season, Houston and its opponents have hit the over in 11 of their 40 games with a total.
• The Astros are 21-19-0 ATS in their 40 games with a spread this season.

Rangers Betting Picks & Insights

• The Rangers have been chosen as underdogs in 28 games this year and have walked away with the win 14 times (50%) in those games.
• Oddsmakers have given Texas the worst odds of winning they have seen this season with a +205 moneyline listed for this contest.
• The Rangers have an implied victory probability of 32.8% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Texas and their opponents have gone over in 17 of their 38 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Rangers have an against the spread mark of 23-15-0 in 38 games with a line this season.

Astros Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yordan Alvarez has homered 12 times this season, the highest mark on the Astros, while hitting .248 with 22 RBI.
• Alvarez’s home runs place him second in the majors, and he is 25th in RBI.
• Kyle Tucker has racked up 26 runs batted in to pace his team.
• Tucker is 27th in homers in baseball, and 16th in RBI.
• Tucker enters this matchup looking for his third game in a row with a hit. During his last five outings he is batting .263 with two home runs, a walk and seven RBI.
• Alex Bregman is hitting .231 with nine doubles, five home runs and 24 walks.
• Jeremy Pena has five doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 10 walks while hitting .277.
• Pena takes a two-game streak with at least one hit into this one. During his last five outings he is batting .412 with a double, a home run, a walk and an RBI.

Rangers Leaders & Batting Stats

• Corey Seager paces the Rangers with eight home runs and has a team-best batting average of .245.
• Seager is 18th in homers and 64th in RBI among all batters in MLB.
• Seager carries a seven-game hitting streak into this matchup. In his last 10 outings he is hitting .250 with two doubles, two home runs, six walks and five RBI.
• Adolis Garcia has put up 24 runs batted in to lead his team.
• Garcia ranks 41st overall in home runs and 18th in RBI this year.
• Jonah Heim has five doubles, four home runs and 11 walks while hitting .286.
• Kole Calhoun is batting .243 with three doubles, a triple, six home runs and six walks.

Betting Tips for Astros vs. Rangers

Our best bet is the Rangers on the moneyline at +205 after digging through all of the key trends and statistics for this matchup. Our computer predicts the total score will over the total of 7.5 runs.