Barstool Bush
Predictions

Texas Rangers at Houston Astros

By Bush StaffUpdated 20d ago·2 min read
Texas RangersTEX(55-56)
Houston AstrosHOU(57-55)
4—5
FINAL
123456789RHE
TEX
001201000470
HOU
01220000—590

Jacob deGrom took the ball for Texas at 6:10 PM CT looking to stop the bleeding after his club dropped the day's first game 11-2. Across the mound was Ronel Blanco, still finding his footing since coming back from elbow surgery and sporting a 7.36 ERA. It was ace against reclamation project, and the Rangers needed deGrom to be closer to his career norm than his last outing, a no-decision against Seattle where he worked 5 innings and allowed just 1 earned run.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Rangers(55-56)
LLLLW
4
Astros(57-55)
WWWWW
5
Best BetRangers -126
Postgame

The ace-over-reclamation-project logic didn't hold — deGrom couldn't keep Houston's lineup off the board early, and Texas's cold bats couldn't finish the comeback despite pulling within a run. Blanco's ugly ERA was the real bear case all along, and it should have carried more weight against a Houston lineup that had already dropped 11 runs on Texas hours earlier.

Pregame

Backing the Rangers here means betting on deGrom over the name on the other side of the mound — a fair swap given Blanco's 8.10 ERA and a last start that fell apart in the sixth. Houston's the hotter team and playing at home, but this looks like a spot where the Astros are priced more off their win streak than off the actual pitching matchup. deGrom giving Texas a real shot to steal one makes the moneyline worth a look on the Rangers.

Houston's rotation has been a soft spot all year, and Blanco's return was supposed to help settle it — his last time out he got knocked around for 5 runs over 5.1 innings against the White Sox. Texas, meanwhile, is trying to piece things together without Josh Jung, whose calf strain manager Skip Schumaker admitted this week has "not trended in the right direction." Jack Leiter remains on the shelf too, still building back up with bullpen sessions rather than big-league innings.

Texas Rangers
Jacob deGrom
(8-8)·3.95 ERA
Jul 26 vs Mariners
ND
5.0IP
1ER
4K
0BB
90P
08/01 Lineup
Houston Astros
Ronel Blanco
(0-1)·6.98 ERA
Jul 26 @ White Sox
L
5.1IP
5ER
4K
3BB
85P
08/01 Lineup

None of that stopped Houston from riding its bats and a first-place jolt of momentum into the nightcap. The Astros came in as the market's home favorite, and DraftKings had Texas at -126 on the moneyline anyway — a sign oddsmakers still trust deGrom over a shaky Astros staff even on a night Houston had every edge in form.

The Rangers arrived in Houston already reeling, losers of 4 of their last 5 with a lineup that's gone quiet enough for Schumaker to start shuffling the configuration. A doubleheader sweep was the last thing that group needed, and for stretches Saturday night it looked like exactly that was coming.

Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(55-56)
Aug 1L@ Astros4-5
Aug 1L@ Astros2-11
Jul 30L@ Rays2-3
Jul 29L@ Rays0-3
Jul 28W@ Rays4-1
Houston Astros
Houston Astros
(57-55)
Aug 1Wvs Rangers5-4
Aug 1Wvs Rangers11-2
Jul 30W@ Angels7-4
Jul 29W@ Angels3-2
Jul 28W@ Angels6-4

The absences are piling up on both sides. Carlos Correa is still nowhere close to a return at shortstop for Houston, and Texas is without Jung, Leiter, and a stack of pitching depth on the 60-day list. Neither team is running out its best 26, which made a game like this — two flawed rosters, two shaky-to-mediocre starters — as unpredictable as advertised.

Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(14)
  • 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday that Jung's recovery from a left calf strain has "not trended in the right direction," Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.07/30
  • 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
  • 10-Day-ILCody Freeman (3B) — Freeman (neck) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday.07/20
  • 15-Day-ILJakob Junis (RP) — The Rangers placed Junis on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left adductor strain.07/30
  • 15-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session with more intensity Saturday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/24
  • 15-Day-ILChris Martin (RP) — The Rangers sent Martin (shoulder) to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.07/22
  • 60-Day-ILCody Bradford (SP) — Bradford (elbow) struck out seven and allowed four hits and no walks over four scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Round Rock.07/31
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) is scheduled to make another rehab start Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP) — The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday that Jansen (forearm) is dealing with setbacks that put his return in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
  • 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23
Houston Astros
Houston Astros
(5)
  • 10-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — The Astros announced that Matthews was removed from Sunday's game against the Rangers after the first inning due to a left knee injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/17
  • 15-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — Burrows (elbow) threw a 35-pitch live batting practice session Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/31
  • 15-Day-ILSpencer Arrighetti (SP) — Arrighetti (foot) received an injection Monday and could be cleared to start a throwing program within the next few days, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/27
  • 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Correa (ankle) has begun light on-field baseball activities as well as a running progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.07/31
  • 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.06/04

Houston built the lead the way you'd expect against a rusty Blanco outing wasn't required — the Astros scored in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th to go up 5-1 and let their bullpen protect it. Texas didn't fold, chipping away with runs in the 3rd, 4th and 6th to pull within one, but they ran out of innings against a Houston pen that's been sharp during the win streak.

It added up to a 5th straight win for Houston and a share of first place the Astros hadn't held since April. For Texas, it's a second straight sour finish to a day that started with an 11-2 blowout loss — the kind of 24 hours that makes a fanbase start squinting at the standings a little harder.

Sources

MLBTexas RangersHouston AstrosPolymarketKalshiJacob deGromRonel Blanco