Astros vs Rangers Prediction - MLB Picks 9/6/23

Astros Player Trends & Props

• Jose Altuve is taking things personally this week, and after homering a whopping five times thru two contests, he’s up to 15 homers and 39 RBI for the season, while batting .321.

• Kyle Tucker has recorded a hit in eight of the last ten games, and he leads the Astros in hits (144), with strong splits of .290/26/99. 

• Yordan Alvarez smashed a homer in the game two win, and he’s tallied 24 home runs and 80 RBI for the season.

• Alex Bregman has collected a hit in nine of the previous ten games, and he’s posting a line of .272/22/92. 

Rangers Preview & Projected Starter

Texas moved to 76-62 after losing to Houston. The Rangers have been blitzed thru two contests, and they’ll look to avoid being swept here on Wednesday. The Texas offense is scoring 4.88 runs per game, while batting .272, with a .341 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.77 ERA, with a 1.20 WHIP. 

Max Scherzer (12-5, 3.55 ERA, 168 Ks) will get the ball for Texas. The veteran pitcher came through with a second straight strong outing against Minnesota last week, striking out seven thru six scoreless frames, before having the decision blown down the stretch. Scherzer has also been pretty good since landing in the Lone Star state in August, and he’ll face a stiff task here in multiple ways, as Houston’s hunting for a sweep, and he’ll face the pressure of matching Verlander’s energy. The Mizzou product has allowed no more than three runs through his first six starts with Texas, and he’ll look to get his squad back into the column on Wednesday. 

Rangers Player Trends & Props

• Corey Seager homered twice in the game two loss, and he leads the AL in batting (.343), while being second in the team in homers (28) and RBI (84). 

• Marcus Semien has collected a hit in seven of the previous ten games,  and he leads the team in hits (156) and runs (103), with splits of .272/20/81. 

• Adolis Garcia has totaled multiple bases in three of the last four games, and he leads the Rangers in home runs (34) and RBI (100).

• Nathaniel Lowe has recorded a hit in seven of the last ten straight games, and he’s posting a line of .276/15/70. 

Corey’s Free Pick

This series was circled in July for multiple reasons. At that point in the season, Houston and Texas found themselves in a two-man race in the AL West, but a skid from the latter allowed Seattle to make it a three-way dance atop the division. The second major reason had to be due to the looming potential matchup of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. 

The two-time former teammates have been two of the best arms in the league since their infamous postseason run in Detroit a decade ago, and this could wind up being must-see baseball. Both former 3x Cy Young winners have been in strong form since leaving Queens, and while a pitcher’s duel would be incredibly fitting, something’s telling me the bats are going to steal the show. Neither is still in their prime, and while the added pressure of facing one another may take its toll, fireworks could shortly follow. With Texas facing a sweep, they will certainly come out swinging, while Houston will surely be looking to maintain their energy from the past two nights. Again, I’d love the pitching duel here, but there’s too much talent within both lineups not to overshadow the matchup on the mound. Take the Over for this Lone Star battle, and don’t shy away from a Rangers bounce back here at home in the divisional series finale.