The only thing more exciting than an NFL Sunday slate, is an NFL Sunday slate that ends with Game 1 of the ALCS. The Texas Rangers look to remain undefeated this postseason as they travel to Houston to take on the defending champion Astros. I've taken a close look at tonight's matchup and put together a 3-leg parlay paying out at 5/1 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. So let's break down each leg of this Same Game Parlay ahead of this AL West rivalry.
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NRFI (-108)
The Texas Rangers are a perfect 5-0 through the first 2 rounds of this postseason, but tonight they go up against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in a hostile Houston environment. Verlander, now making his second stint with the Astros, has his eyes set on another World Series and has provided an immediate boost to the starting rotation since re-joining the Stros in August. Through 11 regular season starts with Houston, the 40-year-old owns a 3.31 ERA and tossed a 6.0 inning shutout against the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS. The Rangers' lineup has been among one of the best in baseball this season and has certainly been productive in October, however, Verlander had success against them on September 6. Verlander held Texas to 1 earned run across 7.0 innings with the lone run coming on a leadoff homer from Marcus Semien.
The Rangers counter with left-hander Jordan Montgomery, whose numbers don't jump off the page, but his productivity can't be denied. In 32 starts split between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Rangers, Montgomery registered a 3.20 ERA and he'll look to bounce back after surrendering 4 earned runs over 4.0 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the ALDS. Prior to that start, Montgomery managed to string together 5 consecutive outings in which he went at least 6.0 innings while allowing 1 earned run or fewer. Montgomery won't overpower this Houston lineup, but he ranks above league-average in chase rate, walk rate, hard-hit rate, and ground ball rate with a great mix of pitches including a sinker, changeup, and curveball. Give me a scoreless first inning in Houston tonight.