Weekly Total Talk

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Standalone Texas Battle
The Houston Astros travel to meet the Texas Rangers on Thursday, opening up the second half as the standalone game of the night in MLB. Everyone else is off until Friday night.

The Astros picked up a win before heading out for the All-Star break, and they're 7-3-2 across the past 12 games following a victory. In addition, they're 3-1-1 in the past five games following an off day. The over is also 5-1 in the past six games on the road against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600.

For the Rangers, the under has been the rule lately, especially with RHP Lance Lynn on the bump. The under is 7-2 in his past nine outings, while going 4-1 in his past five games inside the American League West Division. The under is also 7-2 in the past nine in Game 1 of a new series, while going 19-7 in the past 26 games following a win. Over the past three outings, Lynn is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with a .233 opponent on-base percentage. While the over is 2-0 in his past two at home, the under is 4-2 across the past six contests.

  Wind Report
In Thursday's game in Arlington, there will be a hot wind blowing 11-14 mph out to the right-field porch for the Astros-Rangers battle. Temperatures at game-time will be around 100 degrees, too.

Friday, July 12
The Pirates and Cubs do battle at Wrigley Field at 2:20 p.m. ET with RHP Chris Archer and RHP Yu Darvish locking horns. When Archer is on the hill, the over has followed. The over is 4-1 in his past five on the road, and 4-1 in his past five inside the division, too. The over is 3-1-1 in his past five starts overall, and 6-2 in his past eight against teams with a winning overall record. For the Cubbies, the under is 5-0 in the past five after a scheduled day off, while the under is 4-1 in their past five at home. The under is also 3-1-1 in the past five starts by Darvish. However, the over is 4-1 in his past five inside the division, while going 6-2-1 in the past nine against teams with a losing overall record. The over is also 3-1-1 in his past five at home.

The Blue Jays and Yankees renew acquaintances in the Bronx. While the under is 4-1 in Toronto's past five games, the over is 8-2-1 in their past 11 on the road, and 20-8-3 in the past 31 against teams with a winning overall record. The over is 4-1 in New York's past five, too, and 5-2 in the past seven against the AL East. The over is also 7-2 in the past nine meetings at Yankee Stadium, too.

The Indians, fresh off a rather successful job of hosting the All-Star Game festivities (unless you count the scoreboard operator - Google it), host the Twins in a key battle in the AL Central. Cleveland has closed Minnesota's lead from double digits a month ago to just 5 1/2 at the break. The under is 5-2-1 in Minnesota's past eight games on the road, and 3-1-1 in their past five inside the division. For the Indians, the over is 3-1-1 in the past five games overall, and 4-1 in their past five against teams with a winning percentage over .600. The over is also 4-1 in RHP Mike Clevinger's past five against AL Central foes, 3-1-1 in his past five against winning teams and 5-1 in his past six at home. However, the under is 5-1 in Clevinger's past six against the Twins, while going 11-5-1 in the past 17 meetings overall in this series.

The Nationals and Phillies kick off the second half on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park at 6:05 p.m. ET with RHP Stephen Strasburg and RHP Nick Pivetta squaring off. The Nationals closed out the first half hitting the under in six of the past seven games, and they're 6-1 in the past seven overall vs. RHP, too. The under is 3-0-1 in the past four following a scheduled day off, too, while going 18-7-1 in the past 26 starts by Strasburg. The under is also 5-1-1 in the past seven in Game 1 of a new series. For the Phillies, the over cashed in each of their final four to close out the first half. The over is 4-0 in the past four vs. RHP, too, while going 3-1-1 in the past five at home. The over is also 9-3 in their past 12 against winning teams, while hitting in seven of Pivetta's past nine inside the division. The over is also 6-1 in Pivetta's past seven outings vs. Washington. As an added bonus, the Phillies are 0-8 in Pivetta's past eight outings vs. the Nats, and 0-4 in his past four at home against Washington.

In late-night action, LHP Dallas Keuchel takes the ball for the Braves against RHP Dinelson Lamet and the Padres. The under is 4-1-1 in Atlanta's past six games, and 4-1 in the past five vs. RHP. The under has also cashed in each of the past four outings by Keuchel, while going 5-2-1 in the past eight games on the road. For the Padres, the under has also hit in each of the past four games, while going 5-0 in the past five against teams with a winning overall record. The under is 6-2-1 in the past nine at home vs. LHP, too. In addition, the under is 4-1 in Lamet's past five starts against NL East foes, while going 5-2 in his past seven at home and 6-2 in his past eight against teams with a winning overall mark. The under is also 5-1 in the past six meetings in this series, too.

Wind Report
In Philly, the winds will be blowing from left to right at a 10-13 mph clip, aiding left-handed hitters. The winds will also be blowing from third base to first base at Yankee Stadium for the Jays-Yanks game, but at a 9-12 mph clip.

The winner, in terms of wind, is the Astros-Rangers game at Globe Life Park. The winds will be blowing from 10-13 mph out to right field for the second consecutive evening. Other than that, the winds will be rather variable at the other MLB venues.

VegasInsider Staff

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