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The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers square off on Monday with first pitch set for 8:05 p.m. EST. The game takes place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Cristian Javier will be on the mound for Houston and the Rangers will give the ball to Taylor Hearn.
The Rangers are right behind the Astros in the AL West standings, though that second place stat can be deceiving since they’re nearly 10 games behind their in-state rival. Still, they’ve been shrinking that number more and more in recent days. Texas has won 16 of their last 30 games and roll into this series on a two-game win streak. Hearn hasn’t been the best option for them on the bump, though. His ERA has eclipsed the 5.00 mark this season and hasn’t beat the ‘Stros since 2021. This year in two starts against Houston, he’s tossed 9.2 innings and given up eight earned runs while striking out just six hitters.
The Astros have that comfortable cushion in the division race, but they looked sloppy in the last week or so. Houston has lost two straight series and snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday. They’ve won just two of their last six games overall. Javier has been solid this season and has been even better against the Rangers. In two starts against the AL West rival, he’s tossed 11 innings, allowing just seven hits and three earned runs.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers
Pitchers: Cristian Javier vs. Taylor Hearn
First pitch: 8:05 p.m EST
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Rangers local broadcast: Bally Sports Southwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Point spread: Astros -1.5
Run total: 9
Moneyline odds: Astros -165, Rangers +145
Moneyline pick: Astros -165
The ‘Stros have a much better chance in this one despite their recent struggles. They dominate Hearn this season and Texas can’t seem to do anything at all against Javier.
Player prop pick: Kole Calhoun, over 0.5 home runs (+340)
Despite his team struggling mightily against Javier, Calhoun himself has been pretty darn good. The outfielder has 10 career at-bats against the Astros hurler and has seven hits, including three home runs. If you’re ever gonna hit on an HR bet, this has as good a shot as any to be the one.
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