Houston at Texas

Texas is projected to finish near the bottom in the AL West with a shaky starting rotation and little depth. The Rangers face Justin Verlander, who was the main reason why the Astros won the World Series as he was nearly unhittable the last month of the season and then won crucial games in the postseason. The right-hander was 5-0 with a 1.08 ERA in September and 10-2 and 1.95 after the All-Star break. Texas batters are hitting a collective .250 against Verlander. Houston is arguably an even better team this year as it has added some key free agents. Cole Hamels did not have much success versus the Astros in 2017, allowing six runs on nine hits in 10 innings. Hamels is on the downside of his career after finishing 11-6 with a 4.20 ERA last season. Look for Verlander and Houston to pick up where they left off. Play the Astros.