Rangers vs Astros ALCS Game 7 Preview: Astros, Javier Target World Series

First Postseason Series Between the Rangers and Astros Comes Down to Game 7

The first postseason series between the Lone Star State rivals is going the distance. The Texas Rangers bounced back from a late-game meltdown in Game 5 to roll to victory against the defending World Series champions and send the American League Championship Series to a decisive seventh game. The Rangers vs Astros ALCS Game 7 odds favor the host Astros.

The Rangers turn to veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer despite a rough outing in Game 3 with Houston going with Cristian Javier.

Texas lost its only previous Game 7 to St. Louis in the 2011 World Series. A win on Monday would send the Rangers to the World Series for the first time since that near miss 12 years ago. Houston is 2-3 in Game 7s in its franchise history.

The MLB lines have the Astros priced at -122 to win Game 7, with Texas coming in at +112.

Houston relief pitcher Bryan Abreu has appealed his two-game suspension for throwing at Adolis Garcia in Game 5. He allowed two hits and one run in Game 6, and keep an eye on updates on whether he is available for Game 7.

The Rangers went from +335 to +114 to win the series after the Game 6 win. The series odds for the Astros are now at -124.

The Astros (+200) now have the best odds to win the World Series after being priced at +700. The Rangers saw their odds of winning the World Series move from +700 to +275 after the Game 6 win.

Can Scherzer Seal The Deal?

Spots like this are why the Texas Rangers acquired Max Scherzer from the New York Mets at the MLB trade deadline.

Scherzer was 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts with the Rangers during the MLB regular season before a shoulder injury sidelined him. Scherzer is 0-3 with a 5.68 ERA since going 3-0 in the 2019 postseason to lead the Washington Nationals to the World Series title. Consider that when looking at the Rangers vs Astros Game 7 odds.

Pitching for the first time in more than a month in Game 3 of this series, Scherzer allowed five hits and five runs in four innings.

Javier Looks To Deliver Again

For the third time in this year’s playoffs, Cristian Javier gets the ball following a Houston loss. It is hard to argue with the results so far, as he is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA with four hits and two runs (one earned) allowed in 10.2 innings.

Javier was 3-2 with a 5.15 ERA in 14 starts following a loss during the regular season. He is 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 16 postseason games. In four games as a starter, he is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.16. That could factor into the Rangers vs Astros Game 7 odds.

He has had the upper hand against Texas hitters Adolis Garcia (.105 career batting average versus Javier), Marcus Semien (.182 average) and Corey Seager (.217 average).

Who’s Hot

• Jose Altuve, Houston Astros 2B: Altuve is batting .421 with seven runs, two doubles, two home runs, and four RBIs in the last four games.
• Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers OF: Garcia has homered in each of the last three games. He is 4-for-12 with three runs and eight RBIs during that stretch.
• Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros P: Pressly has given up two hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in six innings in five postseason appearances in 2023.
• Josh Sborz, Texas Rangers P: Sborz has not allowed a run in his last nine appearances. In seven playoff games, he has surrendered one hit and no runs with seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Who’s Not

• Alex Bregman, Houston Astros 3B: Bregman is 2-for-14 with four strikeouts in the last four games. He has walked five times during that stretch.
• Robbie Grossman, Texas Rangers OF: Grossman is 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts in this year’s playoffs.
• Ryan Stanek, Houston Astros P: Stanek has given up three hits and three runs in three innings in three games in this year’s playoffs.
• Chris Stratton, Texas Rangers P: Stratton has allowed two hits and two runs in 2.2 innings of work in the ALCS.

Rangers vs Astros Head to Head

The road team won 12 of the last 14 meetings between the Astros and Rangers. Texas has won all seven of its road games in this year’s playoffs, including all three games at Minute Maid Park. Houston won nine of the 13 games during the regular season, including seven wins in the last eight contests.

Eleven of the last 13 games between the MLB teams finished over the total.

When looking at the MLB standings, both teams finished the regular season with 90-72 records.

Rangers vs Astros Betting Preview

It has all come down to this.

The hitting stars in Game 3 of the ALCS when Scherzer and Javier were the starting pitchers were Houston’s Mauricio Dubon (three hits), Altuve (two hits with a home run), Yordan Alvarez (two hits, two RBIs) and Martin Maldonado (two hits, two RBIs) and the Texas duo of Josh Jung (two home runs, four RBIs) and Nathaniel Lowe (two hits).

After the Texas bullpen allowed 18 hits and 14 runs in 20 innings over the previous four games, it was the Houston relief pitchers who struggled in Game 6. That is something to consider when considering the 8.5-run total in Game 7.

Houston has six hitters with previous Game 7 experience. However, they are just 10-for-45. Corey Seager is the only Texas batter who has played in a Game 7. He was 1-for-9 in two Game 7s when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When it comes to making MLB scores predictions, how do you pick against the reigning world champions, even with the gaudy road record of the Rangers in this year’s postseason?

For MLB betting news, National League baseball standings , and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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