10* Under Rangers/Astros (8:10 ET): The overall numbers for Houston starter Lance McCullers, Jr this season are not particularly inspiring. However, it is quite clear that when he’s on the mound at home, McCullers is a much different pitcher. He’s 3-0 in his four Minute Maid Park appearances with the team winning all four. McCullers has a 1.82 ERA and 0.892 WHIP here as well, so it’s definitely more “good” than “lucky.” Tonight he’s facing one of the worst offensive teams in the league, so it should be more “good!”

Tonight marks McCullers return to the rotation after a 10-day stint on the DL. His last start was one to forget as he failed to record a single out before giving up three runs. He hasn’t made a full start since Aug 29th when here at home he held the first place A’s to just two runs (one unearned) in six innings. Clearly, he was bothered by the neck issue in that last start. Fresh and ready to go, I expect another strong effort on the mound tonight from McCullers. The Rangers had just four baserunners in last night’s 4-1 loss here and are last in the American League in runs scored, batting average and OPS.

Not all the news was good last night for Houston as they near a 4th straight playoff appearance. Just as Jose Altuve returned to the lineup, Carlos Correa went down with an injury. Altuve did score a run in his return (after walking), but was 0 for 3 otherwise. I’m fully aware of how brutal Kyle Gibson has been this year for the Rangers, but Houston isn’t the same team offensively as they’ve been in years past. In fact, they are batting a collective .203 the L7 games. With the home team being such a large favorite, my hope is we avoid playing the bottom of the ninth tonight. That always helps the Under. 10* Under Rangers/Astros