Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers: Odds, Analysis, MLB Betting Pick

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros will start the 2018 season on Thursday by visiting the Texas Rangers as solid road favorites for the American League West matchup. The Astros won their first AL West title a year ago en route to going 101-61 and winning the World Series, ending a two-year division reign by the Rangers, who went just 78-84 in 2017.

MLB betting line: The Astros opened as -159 favorites (wager $159 to win $100); the total is at nine runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report)

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 2.6-2.0, Astros (MLB picks on every game)

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Why the Astros can pay on the MLB lines

Late-season acquisition Justin Verlander will toe the rubber on Opening Day after performing extremely well for Houston following his arrival from the Detroit Tigers, where he had spent his entire career.

Verlander went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts with the Astros and then 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA in the playoffs, earning AL Championship Series MVP honors against the New York Yankees. He had a 2-1 record in three starts versus the Rangers, holding them to a .243 batting average.

Why the Rangers can pay on the MLB lines

Texas has a solid starter opposing Verlander in Cole Hamels, who went 11-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 2017. Hamels got off to a strong start last April with a 2-0 mark and 3.03 ERA in five starts, limiting opponents to a .219 batting average. He also went 7-2 at home despite a 4.35 ERA and beat Houston there last August 11.

In that game, Hamels allowed just three hits to the Astros in seven scoreless innings with two walks and five strikeouts in an eventual 5-2 victory to improve to 7-1 and lower his ERA to 3.31. He struggled after that obviously as the Rangers finished off a disappointing campaign.

Smart betting pick

Houston went 12-7 against Texas in last year's regular-season series, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The Astros won six of the first seven meetings during their fast start and then closed with a three-game sweep on the road.

Only one of the last 13 games between the teams was decided by less than two runs, though, so playing Houston on the runline offers the best value in this divisional game.

MLB betting trends

Houston is 4-1 in its last five games against Texas.

The total has gone over in four of Houston's last six games against Texas.

Houston is 4-1 in its last five games on the road against Texas.

All MLB odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.