JP France is the next pitcher in the rotation for Saturday’s meeting, but he was placed on the paternity leave list for the birth of his child. He can miss one to three days, meaning he could return in time for the game. France went 5.2 innings in his first start of the season against the Yankees, allowing six hits and three earned runs. The four-game series ends on Monday, with the Astros continuing their road trip in Kansas City before returning home to host the Rangers next weekend.

Jon Gray is projected to get the ball for the Rangers, coming off a rough outing against the Cubs. Gray went 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs. Gray wasn’t one of the Rangers’ main options last season, pitching only 5.2 innings in the postseason, but owning a 1.59 ERA. He came out of the bullpen and didn’t start any games. The Rangers host the Oakland Athletics in the sandwich spot, before traveling to Houston for the return matchup.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Rangers Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+146)

Moneyline: -108

Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-176)

Moneyline: -108

Over: 10 (-110)

Under: 10 (-110)

How to Watch Astros vs. Rangers

Time: 7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM PT

TV: SCHN, BSSWX

Stream: fuboTV (Click for a free trial)

Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rangers continue to score runs thanks to clutch batting and a high walk rate. Their hitting hasn’t been up to par, holding just a .264 batting average. JP France is a good matchup for a team with this kind of makeup, as he has good control and doesn’t walk many batters. France had just one walk in 5 1/3 innings against the Yankees and walked 47 batters in 136 1/3 innings in 2023.

The Astros have been hitting well against right-handed pitching this season and deserve to score more runs than they are. They are batting .303 with a .355 on-base percentage, despite only scoring four runs per nine innings.

Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros’ offense hasn’t looked like their normal selves, averaging just 4.4 runs per game. They got back on track against the Blue Jays after getting swept by the Yankees, but a big reason for the wins over the Jays was Toronto’s offensive woes. The Astros held the Jays lineup to a no-hitter and one-hit games but will be dealing with more firepower against the Rangers.

The Rangers offense averaged 5.9 runs, despite just a .264 batting average. The team compiled base runners, despite the poor average, holding a .346 on-base percentage so far.

Final Astros-Rangers Prediction & Pick

When these teams get together there are usually a lot of offensive fireworks, and the overs have been hitting consistently this season. The Astros deserved to score more runs than they did in the Yankees series, and the Jays’ offensive woes contributed to two of those games going under. The over has hit in just one of the Astros games this season. The total is 3-3 in the Rangers’ six games this season. However, the over is 8-1-1 in the past ten meetings between these teams, including hitting in the last six games of their playoff series last Fall. The Astros scored 39 runs in the last three games in Texas last season, so their batters enjoy hitting at Globe Life Park as well.