Prizing:

1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card

Overview:

On Wednesday May 3rd, the (11-15) Texas Rangers will be on the road to take on the (17-9) Houston Astros.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” projects a final score of Astros 4.7 – Rangers 3.3 with an over/under of 8.0.

Starting Pitchers:

TEX: Nick Martinez (0-0, 2.77) vs HOU: Charlie Morton (2-2, 4.50)

Batting Stats:

Runs per game: Astros 4.54 (13^th) > Rangers 4.46 (14^th)

Batting Average: Astros .271 (2^nd) > Rangers .219 (28^th)

On Base Percentage: Astros .340 (3^rd) > Rangers .296 (26^th)

Total Bases: Astros 371 (6^th) > Rangers 333 (21^st)

Baserunning Stats:

Stolen Bases: Rangers 22 (4^th) > Astros 13 (13^th)

Pitching Stats:

Team Earned Run Average: Astros 3.33 (2^nd) > Rangers 3.95 (10^th)

Batting Average Against: Astros .227 (4^th) > Rangers .243 (15^th)

Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched: Astros 1.18 (1^st) > Rangers 1.31 (16^th)

Strikeouts: Astros 250 (2^nd) > Rangers 181 (24^th)

Saves: Astros 8 (8^th) > Rangers 2 (30^th)

Fielding Stats:

Errors: Astros 17 (16^th) > Rangers 21 (23^rd)

Summary:

The Astros enter the game 13^th in the league in runs scored (4.54) while the Rangers (4.46) rank 14^th.  Texas dominated this match-up a year ago going (16-3) against Houston though the Astros are (1-0) against the Rangers this season.  The Astros are (10-5) at home this year while the Rangers are just (3-7) on the road.  Houston hitters have had success against Texas starter Nick Martinez hitting a combined .313 against him.  Astros starter Charlie Morton has held Rangers hitters to a combined .250 average against.  Houston’s pitching staff has been excellent ranking 2^nd in the league with a 3.33 team ERA.  Texas has really struggled with the bats hitting just .219 which ranks 28^th in the league.  Rangers reliever Sam Dyson has been removed from the closer role after several blown saves and a disastrous 17.18 ERA.  Houston has the advantage in nearly every statistical category this season and should win this one at home.

Contest Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize in any contest at The Crowd’s Line, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States or Canada. You must also submit your score prediction on our official prediction tool (blog widget), and include a valid email address. Contest winners are determined according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score, final contest rankings and prize winners are selected by random draw. Only one entry per person is allowed for each contest; multiple entries from a single player will be deemed invalid. There are no prize substitutions or exchanges available from The Crowd’s Line. All contest prizes will be sent by email within 5-7 business days after the conclusion of each contest.