Astros-Rangers prediction: Picks, odds on Saturday, July 1

The Houston Astros will once again face off against their in-state rival Texas Rangers this afternoon for the second game of their weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.62 ERA) will start for the ‘Stros while Nathan Eovaldi (9-3, 2.82 ERA) will step on the hill for the Rangers.

Texas enters the game as a -140 favorite on the moneyline over at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Houston is a +120 underdog. The run total is set at 8.

Astros-Rangers picks: Saturday, July 1st

Injury report

Astros

Day-to-Day: SS Jeremy Pena (neck), OF Ross Adolph (Undisclosed), 2B Will Wagner (hand)
Out: DH Michael Brantley (shoulder), OF Yordan Alvarez (oblique)

Rangers

Day-to-Day: RP Jose LeClerc (ankle)

Starting pitchers

Hunter had a quality start against the Dodgers last Sunday, going six innings while yielding just three hits and an earned run. He’s posted seven strikeouts in back-to-back starts and is just three shy of 100 K’s for the year. He’ll try to recreate his previous start against the Rangers in April, where he went seven and gave up just two earned runs off five hits.

Eovaldi is trying to pick up his first victory in three weeks as the Rangers have lost in each of his last three starts. He’s been solid in that span, striking out 18 batters and yielding nine earned runs in those three starts. This is his first matchup against Astros batters this season, who have collectively batted .305 against him during his career.

Over/Under pick

This is a matchup between two over-friendly squads and we could see plenty of offense this afternoon. This is a Houston team that has pushed across 29 runs in its last three games and it will be facing a Texas team that is eager to end a two-game skid. Take the over.

Pick: Over 8

Moneyline pick

The Astros are rolling with four victories in their last five games and will be facing a pitcher in Eovaldi that their batters have performed well against. I’m riding the hot hand here and picking Houston to take the second game of this series.