Rangers at Astros 7/19/19 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Texas Rangers open a three-game series on the road Friday against American League West rival the Texas Rangers. The Rangers lost their fourth straight on Wednesday after falling to Arizona 19-4. The Rangers were swept in the short two-game interleague series by Arizona. Danny Santana hit a pair of home runs and Logan Forsythe hit one accounting for all four Rangers’ runs.

Houston snapped a two-game losing skid with an 11-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. Gerrit Cole posted 11 strikeouts in his seven innings of work on the mound for Houston. Jack Marisnick collected three hits for the Astros amidst boos by the Angels fans each time he came to bat. Elvis Andrus is leading the Rangers with a .296 batting average and in hits with 103. Joey Gallo leads Texas with 22 home runs, while Nomar Mazara leads in RBIs with 51. Texas is averaging .251 at the plate, while opponents are averaging .271. On Friday, the Rangers will send Mike Minor to the mound. The lefthander is 8-4 with an ERA of 2.73, 121 Ks and 44 BBs.

Michael Brantley leads Houston with a .324 batting average and in hits with 116. Alex Bregman leads in home runs with 24 and RBIs with 60. Houston has a .270 batting average while opponents are averaging .223. On Friday, the Astros will send Justin Verlander to the mound. The right-hander is 11-4 with an ERA of 2.98, 160 Ks and 28 BBs.