Astros vs. Rangers: Game 1 predictions, odds, and picks - August 5, MLB 2024

On Monday, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros will commence the first game of the last Battle of Texas series of the season. As one of MLB's most surgent teams in the last several weeks, Houston will seek to put even more space between themselves and their AL West counterparts.

On June 19, Houston was ten games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Now, on account of the club's impressive 32-21 record since June 1, the Astros now trail Seattle by a game after having led the division at several points over the past two weeks.

"The Silver Boot will be decided in the next three days. Rangers and Astros enter this week’s set with their season series tied 3-3. With a series win, the Rangers will claim their first Silver Boot since 2016" - Kane McCutchen

Since 2016, the Astros have walked away with every season series between the two clubs. However, seeing as though the series is now tied 3-3, the Texas Rangers have a chance to capture their first "Silver Boot" in seven seasons.

Now 3-7 in their last ten, the Rangers suffered a series loss at the hands of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend. Action on Monday is slated to get underway at 7:05 CDT from Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Astros vs Rangers Baseball Betting Odds

Monday 5/8 7:15 CDT	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
Houston Astros	-125	-1.5 +135	O 8.5 -105
Texas Rangers	+105	+1.5 -160	U 8.5 -115

Where to Watch Astros vs Rangers

Space City Home Network is the TV carrier of all regular season Houston Astros games. Conversely, fans based in the Dallas area can tune into AT&T U-Verse to check out all of the action.

Moreover, streaming has become more popular with fans in recent times. Among the most used platforms are fubo and MLB.TV.

Astros vs Rangers Predictions

While the Texas Rangers may have performed better against the Astros than in previous seasons, the defending World Series champs have not kept it up. Now 53-59, the Rangers are 5.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

"Astros yesterday and Rangers today." - Isaac Deer

Over the past week, Texas has hit just .201 as a team, ranking them 26th out of 30 teams over that span of time. Over the same period, the Astros have flexed their bullpen, and rank ninth in relief ERA.

After bumpy starts to the season, Houston's bats, such as Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez have kicked into gear. Meanwhile, the likes of Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia have missed the mark so far this year. As such, it appears as though a Houston victory is in the works.

Prediction: Houston, W 5-3