A number of key three-game series get underway Monday, including one that sees the Texas Rangers visit the American League West rival Houston Astros at 8:10 p.m. ET at Daikin Park. With two weeks remaining in the 2025 MLB season, the in-state adversaries are in contention for both the AL West title and a wild card berth. Houston (81-69) trails Seattle (82-68) by one game for first place in the AL West but occupies the third wild card spot, while Texas (79-71) is three games behind the Mariners and two back of the Astros for the final wild card.
Houston was unable to complete a three-game sweep in Atlanta on Sunday, as it was defeated 8-3 by the Braves and ended its nine-game road trip at 4-5. The trek began in Arlington, where the Astros lost two of three to the Rangers.
Texas, which has won 16 of its last 21 contests, also was unable to sweep the New York Mets over the weekend as it dropped a 5-2 decision in 10 innings on Sunday. The Rangers won two of three at Houston in July and are 6-4 in the season series.
Jason Alexander (4-1, 4.19 ERA) looks to win his fourth straight decision as he takes the mound for the Astros. The 32-year-old right-hander recorded at least six strikeouts in back-to-back outings before fanning only three batters over seven innings against the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday.
The Rangers counter with rookie Jack Leiter (9-8, 3.81), who will be facing Houston for the third time this season. The 25-year-old righty registered 10 strikeouts across 12 1/3 frames in his first two meetings with the Astros but finished with four over 4 2/3 innings versus the Milwaukee Brewers in his last start after notching a total of 25 across 19 frames in his previous three outings.
Top sportsbooks have set the total strikeouts props for Leiter at 5.5 (Over +119, Under -157) and Alexander at 4.5 (Over -106, Under -122). The SportsLine Inside the Lines team’s model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, rates Alexander’s Over 4.5 strikeouts prop as a 3.5-star play on its 5-star scale and Leiter’s Under 5.5 as a 3-star play.
However, the model has found better value on Monday’s nine-game schedule, as there is one pitcher strikeout player prop that it has rated at 5 stars and two others at 4.5 stars, including one that returns plus money. Here they are:
Kai-Wei Teng Under 4.5 strikeouts (-129) vs. Diamondbacks (9:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 5 stars
Model projection: 1.6 strikeouts
Teng will be making his fifth consecutive start and the sixth of 2025 — and of his major league career. The 26-year-old Taiwanese righty is coming off back-to-back eight-strikeout performances after fanning a total of eight batters over 8 1/3 innings in his first three turns. But Teng did not fare well in a relief appearance against the Diamondbacks last year, when he was tagged for five runs on four hits and three walks in just one inning and did not record a strikeout. Even though Arizona struck out 25 times over its last two contests, it still posted victories to climb back into the wild card race in the National League and likely won’t allow Teng to post another high strikeout total.
Kyle Bradish Over 5.5 strikeouts (+107) vs. White Sox (7:40 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 6.2 strikeouts
Bradish has been impressive since returning from Tommy John surgery, allowing fewer than three runs in each of his three starts. The 29-year-old right-hander registered 21 strikeouts over 17 innings in those outings, going Over this number twice. The White Sox struck out an average of 10 times while being swept in their three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, and Bradish fanned 11 batters across seven frames last season in his lone career start versus Chicago.Â
Ranger Suarez Over 4.5 strikeouts (-137) vs. Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Model projection: 5.5 strikeouts
Suarez has been a beast on the mound of late, winning each of his last four decisions and recording double-digit strikeout totals in three of them. The 30-year-old Venezuelan left-hander has allowed a total of one run over 24 innings in his past four starts and is coming off an outing against the New York Mets in which he set a career high with 12 strikeouts across six scoreless frames. Suarez hasn’t faced the Dodgers since 2023 but has fanned 19 batters over 16 innings in his last three turns versus Los Angeles.
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