Sport DFW's Best Dallas Betting Picks for 7/24 (Slugfest Erupts Between Astros & Rangers)
By Tyler Maher
It's another baseball-heavy day in the sports world as we await the start of NFL training camps later this week. Fortunately, Rangers fans have an exciting game to look forward to tonight with the start of a key divisional series against the Astros.
Accordingly, here are our best Dallas sports betting picks to make today.
Dallas Best Bets: July 24, 2023
Tyler Maher: Rangers-Astros Over 9 Total Runs
The Rangers head to Houston today for a crucial three-game series against the Astros. Texas leads Houston by three games in the AL West standings, so the Rangers need to win at least one of these games coming up to stay in first place.
Texas salvaged a win in its series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday to avoid getting swept and is now 7-2 since the All-Star Break. Houston’s also hot after winning four of its last five to close out a successful 6-3 road trip.
The Rangers will turn to Jon Gray to cool off the Astros on Monday night. Gray kept the Rays scoreless over 4 ⅓ innings his last time out but hasn’t been at his best lately, pitching to a 5.76 ERA, a 5.20 FIP and a 1.75 WHIP over his last six outings.
The Astros, meanwhile, are starting Brandon Bielak. Bielak’s having a great July so far with a 1.02 ERA in three starts this month, although much of that has been due to unsustainable batted-ball luck (.159 BABIP).
It’s hard to feel great about either starting pitcher tonight or pick between two evenly matched teams, so our best bet is a play on the total. Both lineups have a ton of firepower, as Texas leads MLB in scoring at 5.80 runs per game while Houston ranks 12th with 4.65 runs per game.
Not only have these two clubs averaged 10.6 total runs per game in their seven matchups this year, but the Astros also play in a hitting-friendly park. Expect another slugfest and take the Over in this one.
Jason Schandl: Rangers to Win AL West
The Rangers are slight favorites in Game 1 of this week’s series against the Astros, and I like their chances of being favored on Tuesday as well with J.P. France on the mound for Houston. That's because France’s 4.55 xFIP and 4.76 SIERA show he's been much worse this season than his 3.13 ERA might lead you to believe.
So as likely favorites to win the majority of the games in this series, Texas should be able to extend its three-game lead in the AL West standings this week. That would give us some breathing room as we approach the dog days of August.
It also helps that the Rangers have the ninth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the majors, while the Astros have just the 16th-easiest.
It might be exaggerating a little to say that this week’s series decides the division, but it’s hard to see Houston overtaking Texas down the stretch unless it pulls off a three-game sweep here, which is not something I’d count on.
And if you're a new user at Caesars Sportsbook, you'll get an incredible promo offer for tailing this bet. Anyone who signs up through the exclusive Sport DFW link and deposits at least $10 will have their entire first wager returned in bonus credits if it doesn't win, all the way up to $1,250! So if you bet $100 on the Rangers to win tonight and they don't, then you'll automatically get $100 in bonus credits. And if the bet does win, you get the whole cash payout like usual!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.