Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Betting Picks: Can Marcus Semien Shine In ALCS Game 4?
The Rangers and Astros play Game 4 of the ALCS tonight. Ben Rajavuori shares his Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers betting picks. He's providing a few prop picks and a same game parlay.
Ben Rajavuori - October 19, 2023, 5:01 PM EDT
9 minHouston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Betting Picks: Can Marcus Semien Shine In ALCS Game 4?
The Houston Astros fought back in Game 3 to bring the series score a bit closer at 2-1. Cristian Javier pitched well, while Max Scherzer struggled in his first game back, giving the Astros an 8-5 win. Tonight, the pitching matchup is another interesting one, with Jose Urquidy starting on the Astros side and Andrew Heaney starting for the Rangers. For tonight's game, there are a few clear-cut hitters I like to have at least one hit in tonight's game. They are a bit juicy separately, but you can throw them in a parlay for a decent payout. This one I took over at DraftKings because the odds are WAY better (-300 to -195) on Tucker to get a hit, which boosts the parlay by almost 50 cents. Let's get into it.
Astros vs. Rangers Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: October 19, 2023
- Game Time: 8:03 pm ET
- Where to Watch: FS1
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers Betting Picks
Pick 1: Marcus Semien 1+ Hits
This pick may be my favorite tonight. Yes, he's -255 to get a hit, but that's not even that bad compared to some of the other props. Marcus Semien is the leadoff hitter for the Rangers, and he is coming off a .276 season. Semien was hot entering the playoffs, hitting .307 the last 30 days, but he has hit a little cold spell in the postseason, batting .171 so far in the postseason. However, tonight I expect him to turn that around.
For starters, he has seen Jose Urquidy excellently. Semien has 21 at-bats against Urquidy, more than any other Ranger, and he is 8-21 in those at-bats for a .381 average. He also has three home runs and two doubles off him. Semien sees Urquidy well and hits it hard off him.
Secondly, Semien has crushed the Astros all season. As divisional foes, Semien saw the Astros quite a bit. Semien had 13 games against the Astros, and he hit .431, going 22-51 in those 13 games. That's the highest average he had against any team he played more than three games against this year. He went 2-5 in game two but was hitless in games one and three, combined for 2-12 in this series. That should change tonight.
Lastly, Semien hits leadoff, so he will have the most plate appearances possible. He should get at least five in this game, and every at-bat is a better chance for a hit in the game. Semien has yet to go back-to-back games in the postseason without a hit.
Pick 2: Kyle Tucker 1+ Hits
Lefty on lefty matchup. That should favor Heaney, right? Wrong. Andrew Heaney allowed a .246 batting average to righties this season and a .276 to lefties. Not only does Heaney have reverse splits, but so does Tucker. While most lefties hit righties better, not Kyle Tucker. Tucker hit .275 off righties this year and .300 off lefties. The only two lefties who hit lefty pitchers better than Kyle Tucker this year were Freddie Freeman and Cody Bellinger.
Tucker is another guy who has struggled in the postseason this year, going 3-24 with a .125 average. He had three straight hitless games, going 0-12, before hitting a double last night. I think that sparks his confidence back and he gets a hit off Heaney, given that he has done better against lefties all season.
Pick 3: Chas McCormick 1+ Hits
The last is perhaps the sketchiest. With a .273 batting average in 2023, McCormick is the "long shot" here. He also bats further down on the order, so he very well may only get three at-bats, maybe four. However, this guy has a knack for hitting lefties. During the regular season, Chas McCormick hit just .250 off righties, but a much better .325 off lefties.
Chas was 7th amongst all righties in the MLB this season with over 100 at-bats against lefty pitchers with a 1.008 OPS. He has only seen Heaney seven times, but he has two hits. Also, the kid is red-hot in the postseason. He is hitting .316 in the postseason. Even better? Chas has started five games in the postseason this year. He has at least one hit in all five, with one being a multi-hit game. I love him to grab another tonight.
Astros vs. Rangers Same Game Parlay @ +205 (Bet $100 to collect $305) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
- Pick 1: Marcus Semien 1+ Hits @ -255
- Pick 2: Kyle Tucker 1+ Hits @ -195
- Pick 3: Chas McCormick 1+ Hits @ -200
MLB Odds
