Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 4/12/24, 6:09 AM  by Lou Aguila in MLB Picks

Baseball fans are in for a thrilling game on Friday as the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros renew their rivalry in another three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

The Rangers suffered a sad 1-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics on April 11, their fourth in five games. They are still 7-6 in the AL West rankings, but it is clear that they must address numerous big issues if they want to stay there.

The Rangers have batted in 13 of their games 266 with 67 runs. Meanwhile, their pitchers have an impressive 3.08 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and.203 BAA.

On the other side of the field, the Astros are still trying to figure out why they are at the bottom of the AL WEST three weeks into the season. Part of the answer could come from their pitching. Houston has some of the worst pitching numbers in the majors, ranking 28th in ERA (5.09), 27th in WHIP (1.52), and 26th in BAA (.260).

Pitching Matchup:

Dane Dunning (3-2, 2.20 ERA) will be starting for the Rangers. After three tries, the 29-year-old right-hander has yet to win a game against the Astros. His last attempt to get the W failed miserably as he allowed 3 runs over 6.1 innings in a 3-1 loss last April 7.

J.P France (1-4, 2.80 ERA) will be the first pitcher on the mound for the Astros on Friday. Struggling to find his pitching groove so far, France will try to bounce back after his last tour of duty saw him conceding 8 hits and 3 runs in a 7-2 loss to the Rangers last April 6.