Rangers vs. Astros Prediction, MLB Picks for Saturday, August 1

The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros will square off in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday, August 1, at 7:10 p.m. ET. Before the first pitch is thrown in Saturday’s contest, the Rangers are favored on the road with a 1.75x payout to secure a victory on PrizePicks Team Picks.

This will be the 12th meeting between the Rangers and Astros this season. Following a lopsided 11-2 victory over Texas on Friday, Houston has gone 7-4 in the first 11 meetings.

Below, we'll break down our Rangers vs. Astros prediction and picks for Saturday’s MLB contest, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

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Rangers vs. Astros Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Saturday, August 1

For the second game of the series, it will be Rangers SP Jacob deGrom (3.13 xFIP across 110.1 IP) and Astros SP Ronel Blanco (4.33 xFIP across 10.0 IP) facing off on the mound.

Ahead of his 21st start in 2026, deGrom sits in the 68th percentile in xERA (3.54) and 92nd percentile in walk rate (5.4%), per Baseball Savant. The biggest concerns for deGrom could be ranking in the 27th percentile in barrel rate (9.0%) and 5th percentile in hard-hit rate (45.9%).

It’s a small sample of 10.0 IP for Blanco this season, but he’s struggled in his return, logging an 8.10 ERA to pair with his 6.78 xERA. Blanco also has a concerning 14.6% walk rate and 21.7% barrel rate.

Across the last month of action, the Astros own the 9th-best wRC+ (107), 13th-best wOBA (.322), and 5th-best ISO (.184), per FanGraphs. As for the Rangers, they’ve been slightly better in that span, earning the second-best wRC+ (114), sixth-best wOBA (.333), and second-best ISO (.196).

Rangers vs. Astros Winner Payout, Over/Under – Saturday, August 1

The Rangers enter Saturday’s game as a road favorite against the Astros, returning a 1.75x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Rangers vs. Astros game on PrizePicks.

Make your Rangers vs. Astros prediction on spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 36 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Rangers vs. Astros Prediction on Winner – 8/1/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Rangers vs. Astros prediction on the winner for Saturday, August 1.

• Both teams have excelled at the plate in the last 30 days, and there have been at least 10 total runs scored in four straight meetings between these teams.
• deGrom has surrendered a combined 5 HRs and 6 ERs across his two starts against the Astros in 2026.
• Against right-handed pitching, Houston has the 8th-best wRC+ (106), 11th-best wOBA (.321), and 6th-best ISO (.173).
• Meanwhile, Texas has the 7th-best wRC+ (103) and 12th-best wOBA (.318) on the road this season.
• Blanco has given up multiple HRs and at least 4 ERs in each of his first two starts in 2026.
• Along with the Rangers having the fourth-highest hit rate on the over on the road (55.8%), the Astros also have the fourth-highest hit rate on the over at home (55.8%) this year, per TeamRankings.

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Rangers vs. Astros Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 8/1/26

Here are the top Rangers vs. Astros picks to target on Saturday, August 1. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Yordan Alvarez and Joc Pederson.

Rangers DH Joc Pederson vs. Astros: 4.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

• Pederson is rocking a 144 wRC+, .375 wOBA, and .257 wOBA against righties.
• On the road, Pederson owns a 157 wRC+, .395 wOBA, and .227 ISO.
• Since the start of July, Pederson has posted a 189 wRC+, .440 wOBA, and .373 ISO.
• Blanco produced a 6.18 xFIP and 2.89 HR/9 to lefties in 2025. He has a 5.82 xFIP and 4.26 HR/9 to lefties in his small sample in 2025.

Add Joc Pederson to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

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Astros DH Yordan Alvarez vs. Rangers: 6 Hitter Fantasy Score

• deGrom is recording a 3.22 xFIP and 1.34 HR/9 against lefties, compared to a 2.97 xFIP and 1.26 HR/9 against righties in 2026.
• When facing right-handed pitchers, Alvarez boasts a 208 wRC+, .467 wOBA, and .337 ISO.
• Alvarez also carries a 232 wRC+, .501 wOBA, and .375 ISO when playing at home.
• Over his last 10 games, Alvarez has 5 multi-hit outings, 4 HRs, 9 RBIs, and 9 runs.

Add Yordan Alvarez to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

Make Rangers vs. Astros Picks on PrizePicks

The Rangers and Astros will duel in an NL West showdown on Saturday. Will there be a decent amount of runs scored despite deGrom getting the nod for Texas?

Don’t wait until the first pitch happens — make your Rangers vs. Astros picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.

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