Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros

Texas Rangers at Houston Astros (2026-08-01). Jacob deGrom vs Ronel Blanco at Daikin Park.

Starters — deGrom brings a 3.67 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 110.1 innings with elite bat-missing and control metrics: 10.77 K/9 and 1.96 BB/9. The main blemish is a 1.31 HR/9, but his recent form is solid: over his last three starts he allowed 1, 5, and 2 earned runs across 5.0, 4.2, and 5.0 innings, with 17 strikeouts against 4 walks. The listed trend is up, which fits the rebound from the rough middle outing. Blanco has worked only 10.0 innings, posting an 8.10 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. His 10.8 K/9 shows swing-and-miss ability, but the 5.4 BB/9 and 3.6 HR/9 point to major volatility. In his last two starts, he gave up 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings and 4 earned runs in 4.2 innings, with 12 strikeouts but 6 walks.

Teams — Texas owns a .721 OPS, .245 average, and 458 runs scored. The Rangers’ pitching staff has a 4.31 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, with a 5-5 record over the last 10 games, suggesting a fairly neutral recent profile. Houston has been the better run-production side, carrying a .734 OPS, .244 average, and 516 runs. The Astros’ staff has a 4.67 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, which is less stable than Texas on the season, but their recent form stands out at 9-1 over the last 10 games. That combination of stronger recent momentum and higher season-long scoring gives Houston a notable offensive edge, while Texas appears to hold the clearer advantage on the mound entering this matchup.