Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Prediction: Incredible Astros to deliver quality

On Thursday, game 3 of a Major League Baseball series between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros will take place at Minute Maid Park. Will the Houston Astros be able to complete the sweep after winning the first two series, or will the Texas Rangers be able to take advantage of this opportunity? 

The Houston Astros have now won three games in a row and are getting closer to reclaiming first place in their division. Since the start of the all-star break, the Houston Astros have had an amazing 8-3 record. The pitching staff for the Astros is ranked third in earned run average (3.75), thirteenth in WHIP (1.26), and third in quality starts (47). The offensive production of the Astros ranks 12th in runs per game (4.70), 17th in batting average (.248), and 11th in home runs (125). The Astros are led in hits and runs batted in by Kyle Tucker, who has 111 and 69, respectively. Alex Bregman and Jose Abreu have combined for 191 hits and 114 RBI. This is Framber Valdez's turn to pitch, and so far he has a record of 8-6 with a 2.94 earned run average and 133 strikeouts. In his career against the Texas Rangers, Valdez has a record of 6-4 with a 2.47 earned run average and 84 strikeouts.

After dropping four of their previous five games, the Texas Rangers are in desperate need of a victory. The Texas Rangers are currently in first place in the AL West, but only by one game. The Rangers pitching staff currently ranks 15th in earned run average (4.17), 7th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.24), and 9th in quality starts (43). The Rangers have the best offense in the league when it comes to runs per game (5.83), batting average (.273), and home runs (139). Marcus Semien has a team-high 115 hits and is in first place with 61 runs batted in for the Texas Rangers. Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung have combined for 217 hits and 115 runs batted in. The next batter is Andrew Heaney, who is currently 6-6 with a 4.58 earned run average and 100 strikeouts for the season. In his career, Heaney's record against the Houston Astros is 3-4 with a 3.04 earned run average and 76 strikeouts.

The Rangers are currently experiencing one of the worst stretches of the year, while the Astros are currently playing some of their finest baseball of the season in the second half. Because of their superior pitching, you should have faith that the Astros will keep their winning streak going in this game. Andrew Heaney has a career ERA of 4.58 and a WHIP of 1.35, while Framber Valdez has a career ERA of 2.94 and a WHIP of 1.10. Valdez has a 2.13 earned run average and a.230 allowed batting average in 72 innings of work at home. Given the advantage in starting pitching, it is difficult to pass up the opportunity to see the Astros play at home, especially at such an affordable price.