Astros' Series-Opening Win Drives Rangers' Odds Down 43 Points Ahead of deGrom Start

The prediction market for the May 16 Texas Rangers–Houston Astros game now prices the Rangers at 12.5%, a 43-percentage-point drop in the past 24 hours, following the Astros’ 2-0 win in the series opener Friday.

The Astros’ victory Friday, in which starter Spencer Arrighetti held Texas hitless into the eighth inning, improved Houston’s season record to 18-28 and kept them in fourth place in the American League West, six games back. The Rangers fell to 21-23, two games behind the first-place Mariners.

The pitching matchup for Saturday heavily favors Texas on paper. Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-2, 2.62 ERA) will oppose Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (1-3, 3.12 ERA). deGrom has allowed one run or fewer in six of his past seven starts, including seven shutout innings against the Cubs on May 10. He ranks second in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (11.49) and third in WHIP (0.92). Teng, making his third start of the season, is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA as a starter.

Rangers shortstop Corey Seager entered Friday in a 0-for-27 slump with 11 strikeouts across seven games, the longest hitless streak of his career by both games and at-bats. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker gave Seager the series opener off and suggested additional rest may follow. “I honestly hope he doesn’t swing a lot,” Schumaker said. Against the Astros, deGrom is 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts—all last season—including a five-inning, five-run outing on Sept. 17, 2025.

The market’s sharp move suggests bettors are pricing in the Astros’ momentum from Friday’s win and possibly the Rangers’ recent offensive struggles, despite deGrom’s dominant season. With the game set for 7:10 p.m. CT Saturday at Daikin Park, traders will watch whether Texas can overcome a slumping lineup and rediscover its timing at the plate.