Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/01/2026

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Saturday, August 1, 2026

Venue:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers -131, Astros +109; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers -130, Astros +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rangers -135, Astros +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Texas Rangers:  55-54 (1st place, AL West)

Houston Astros:  55-55 (2nd place, AL West)

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Texas Rangers:  5-5 last 10

Houston Astros:  8-2 last 10

The Rangers are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-54 record overall and have a road record of 27-29. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 16th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Nathan Eovaldi is their starting pitcher on Friday while Jacob deGrom is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 4 SO on 7 hits through 5 IP against the Seattle Mariners.

The Astros are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-55 record overall and have a home record of 26-27. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rangers on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Hunter Brown is their starting pitcher on Friday while Ronel Blanco is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA this season. His team lost their last game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 2 homers, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5.1 innings pitched against the Chicago White Sox.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros haven't looked great in their games this season with their 55-55 record overall, but that record has them right near the top of the AL West. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark with their 26-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Rangers have looked good in their games this season with their 55-54 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They haven't been a great road team though with their 27-29 road record this year. The Astros have been rolling lately as they are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they are back at .500 for the first time in months. They are right back in the AL West race now and have been putting the pressure on the Rangers who are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but the Rangers do have the better pitching matchup in this one and can take advantage of that to stay ahead in the division. The Rangers are going with deGrom in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA and lately he has been lights out. The team has lost 2 games in a row now with him starting, but he is coming off another great start giving up 1 earned run and that has been a common theme lately. The Rangers also have a great bullpen to help him out. The Astros are going with Blanco in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA and has only made 2 starts this year, but he was terrible in both. He just gave up 5 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him and his team lost that game too. The Astros have had better pitching lately, but this won't be a game that they dominate on the mound. Look for the Rangers to take advantage of this pitching matchup and stay ahead of the Astros in the AL West. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game. 

Rangers Astros Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 1, 2026 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Rangers 5 Astros 2.

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Texas Rangers: 214-219 (-20.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 93-124 (-28.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 118-129 (-13.9 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 16-9 OVER on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5. 32-22 OVER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 

Houston Astros: 128-99 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with a slugging percentage .410 or worse on the season. 151-130 (+13.5 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 107-98 (+7.7 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 12-5 OVER as a home underdog of +100 or higher. 27-15 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Texas Rangers:  J. Junis (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Groin. J. Jung (3B) Ten Day IL - Calf. K. Higashioka (C) Ten Day IL - Flexor Tendon. J. Corniell (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Beeks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. C. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. C. Seager (SS) Ten Day IL - Back. C. Freeman (3B) Ten Day IL - Disc. J. Leiter (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. M. Helman (CF) Sixty Day IL - Hand. D. Jansen (C) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. R. Garcia (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Baumler (RP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. C. Bradford (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Montgomery (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Houston Astros:  S. Arrighetti (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Foot. B. Matthews (CF) Ten Day IL - Knee. M. Burrows (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“The story is we didn’t get anything going offensively. It’s tough to win games that way.’’ - Skip Schumaker after his team’s loss against the Rays in their game on Thursday. 

“We are where we want to be, but we have work to do. It’s not time to be complacent. We’ve got to keep going.” - Joe Espada after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Wednesday.

Wyatt Langford (R) LF

Ezequiel Duran (R) 3B

Brandon Nimmo (L) DH

Jake Burger (R) 1B

Justin Foscue (R) 2B

Cam Cauley (R) CF

Nicky Lopez (L) SS

Austin Wynns (R) C

Alejandro Osuna (L) RF

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Christian Walker (R) 1B

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Taylor Trammell (L) LF

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Cam Smith (R) RF

Lucas Spence (L) CF

Batting Average:  Nicky Lopez (.307)

Hits:  Brandon Nimmo (105)

Home Runs:  Jake Burger (19)

RBI:  Jake Burger (66)

Stolen Bases:  Evan Carter (14)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (10)

Saves:  Jacob Latz (21)

ERA:  Marco Gonzales (1.50)

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.321)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (126)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (35)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (80)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (14)

ERA:  Alimber Santa (1.17)

Managers:

Texas Rangers: Skip Schumaker (1st season)

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)