Texas Rangers (17-19, third in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (24-14, first in the AL West)
Houston; Thursday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Glenn Otto (1-1, 6.38 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 16 strikeouts); Astros: Framber Valdez (2-2, 2.93 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 32 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -206, Rangers +174; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers will attempt to keep their four-game win streak going when they visit the Houston Astros.
Houston is 9-4 in home games and 24-14 overall. The Astros have the third-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .416.
Texas has a 10-12 record at home and a 17-19 record overall. The Rangers have hit 39 total home runs to rank 10th in MLB play.
Thursday's game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Astros are ahead 3-1 in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has six doubles and seven home runs for the Astros. Jose Altuve is 10-for-38 with two doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games.
Jonah Heim has five doubles and four home runs for the Rangers. Kole Calhoun is 12-for-30 with two doubles, a triple and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 7-3, .259 batting average, 2.90 ERA, outscored opponents by 31 runs
Rangers: 6-4, .224 batting average, 4.00 ERA, outscored by two runs
INJURIES: Astros: Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
Rangers: Mitch Garver: 10-Day IL (flexor strain), Albert Abreu: 15-Day IL (ankle), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jonathan Hernandez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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