The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday in Houston. The Rangers finished over 30 games behind the Astros, the eventual World Series Champions, last season but spent the offseason upgrading their pitching staff to close the gap between the two teams. The Astros have started slowly but remain the heavy favorites to win the AL West Division yet again in 2023. The pitching matchup on Saturday will feature the Rangers' Jon Gray (1-1, 3.00) taking on Hunter Brown (1-0, 3.09) of the Astros. The opening pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM EST.
The NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the Week is only $49.99 (usually $100) if you use this link. Take advantage of this as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The Texas Rangers made major moves prior to last season, adding a new middle infield in SS Corey Seager and 2B Marcus Semian to add speed and pop to their lineup. The changes did not translate to a significant amount of wins, however, and the Rangers dipped back into the free agency pool again this offseason. This year, the Rangers added elite starting pitching by bringing in former Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and hard-throwing Nathan Eovaldi. The results have been solid thus far with the Rangers tied for first place as we head to the weekend. On Friday night, the Rangers were led by Nate Lowe's 3 RBI and a solid five-inning performance from starter Martin Perez to knock down the Astros 6-2.
LAUNCHED by Lowe?? pic.twitter.com/ghmEhbsLh8
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 13, 2023
The Rangers will turn to another free-agent pickup from 2022, Jon Gray, to take the mound on Saturday. Gray is 1-1 in two starts with a solid 3.00 ERA. He has given up 10 hits in 12.1 innings pitched while walking five and striking out 11 batters. Last season on the road, Gray was 3-6 in 16 starts with an ERA of 4.27. He gave up just 71 hits in 84.1 road innings. He walked 32 batters and struck out 85 on the road last season. Gray made one start against the Astros last year, going 0-1 while allowing six hits and two runs in six innings of work.
Key Injuries: SS Seager is on the 10-day IL.