Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Odds and Free Pick
Betting Odds
ALCS Game 3 Betting Preview
After taking the first two games of this American League championship series on the road, the Rangers look to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the Astros in Arlington Wednesday night.
Big gun-for-hire Max Scherzer hits the hill for Texas here while Christian Javier will try to get Houston on the board.
ALCS Game 3 Betting Odds
Wednesday’s playoff baseball betting market opened Texas at around -125 for Game 3 over Texas, with an over/under of nine runs. Early betting action then bumped the Rangers to -130.
This series began with Houston chalked at -140 to win it, with the Rangers getting +120. Now, Texas is lined at -500 to take this ALCS, with the Astros now getting +360.
Game 3 Pitching Match-Up
Scherzer is making his first start of this postseason Wednesday after sitting out a month dealing with a sore shoulder. Last time out, back on Sept. 12, he held Toronto scoreless through 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 Texas victory.
Javier is making his second start of this postseason. Eight days ago in the ALDS against Minnesota, he tossed five innings of one-hit, shutout ball, with five walks against nine strikeouts, in a 9-1 Astros win.
Splits With the Sticks
Houston batted .254 against right-handed pitching this season, with a .328 team OBP and a .423 team slugging percentage.
Texas slashed .261/.334/.456 against RH pitching.
The Bullpens
The Rangers pen posted a 4.77 ERA this season but has been strong in the postseason.
The Astros bullpen put up a 3.56 ERA this season, with solid numbers as well.
MLB Betting Trends
Houston played 51-30 on the road this season and 62-51 against right-handed starters.
Texas played 50-31 at home and 62-56 against RH starters.
Totals Report
The overs played 83-74 in Astros games this season.
The overs played 81-69 in Rangers games.
The overs played 46-28 at Globe Life Field this season.
The overs played 8-3 in Astros-Rangers games this season.
Astros vs Rangers Free MLB Pick
We’re calling this pitching match-up a wash because Scherzer will probably be on a pitch count, and that Texas bullpen, while good lately, must still be considered iffy. And while Javier’s also been good lately, the Rangers bombed him earlier this season. We’ll also call the splits with the sticks about even. So, from what we can tell, the line on this game should be much closer to a pick ‘em. Also, Houston was excellent on the road this season, and it’s a battle-tested outfit; they know they’re still in this series. We like the Astros catching the underdog price for Wednesday night.