This is a 10* GAME OF THE MONTH on the Houston Astros.

Lance McCullers was scheduled to start this game for the Astros, but the shift to Gerrit Cole does nothing to effect our big play tonight. Cole (9-2, 2.50 ERA) gave up three runs (one earned) off five hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings in a tough luck loss to Tampa Bay on Friday. It was his first loss since April 23rd, so clearly there's no reason to over-react. Cole still hasn't given up more than four runs in any start all season long. Note that he's 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA on the road as well. The Rangers hand the ball to Mike Minor (6-4, 4.64) who comes in off a strong outing himself, going seven shutout innings in against San Diego on Wednesday. Minor had a decent June performance, lowering his ERA over a full point and posting an 18:5 K:BB, but note that the Rangers are still just 18-30 (-2.2 units) against teams with winning records, while HOUSTON is 27-11 against clubs with losing records this season. No upset here, as we think that the Astros have a major advantage, both on the mound and at the plate. Lay the price.

AAA Sports