The weekend is finally here! An intense AL West showdown will be underway on this Saturday afternoon as the Los Angeles Angels take on the Houston Astros in the third game of this four-game series1 Let's take a look at our MLB odds series where our Angels-Astros prediction and pick will be revealed.
Hovering around the .500 mark at 30-29, there is no doubt that this is a make-it or break-it year for the Los Angeles Angels organization. Over the years, Los Angeles has possessed steady talent including two of the best players in the world but have failed to reach the postseason consistently enough. At the moment, sits 7.5 games back of the division lead and must start playing as a team if they want Ohtani and Trout to stay in Anaheim long-term. In line for the start on this Saturday for the Angels will be the lefty Patrick Sandoval who is 3-4 with a 3.42 ERA.
After slugging their way past Angels ace Shohei Ohtani by a score of 6-2, the Houston Astros have now won six of their last eight as they are certainly looking like the team that brought home a World Series championship a year ago. Now, the Astros sit with a 34-23 record as they trail the Texas Rangers by 2.5 games in the AL West standings. Getting the start for the Astros in this one will be the extremely lethal Cristian Javier who is 6-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 11 starts on the year.
Here are the Angels-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Astros Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-146)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+122)
Over: 8 (-122)
Under: 8 (+100)
How To Watch Angels vs. Astros
TV: Fox Sports West
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 4:10 ET/1:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Above all else, the most important aspect that the Angels have to take care of is getting their starting hurler in Patrick Sandoval into a rhythm from the opening pitch. As a whole, Sandoval's kryptonite has indeed been these Houston Astros, as the 26-year-old southpaw is winless in his career with an 0-4 record to go along with a lofty 7.55 ERA in eight appearances all-time. Even if the Angels offense comes to play in this one, it will be all for not if Sandoval cannot rid himself of the demons that are the Houston Astros.
Of course, the offense does need to show out in some way for the Angels to jump ahead early in this divisional contest. The one thing that Los Angeles struggled with the most on Friday is their inability to capitalize with runners-in-scoring position. In fact, the Halos were only 2-12 in nine innings of play as they could not come up clutch when it mattered most. Alas, this cannot be the case for an Angels offense that is actually one of the more potent offenses that the league has to offer. When taking a closer look, LA boasts top-eight marks in batting average, runs scored, and slugging percentage. Without stellar offensive production, then their chances of covering the spread will be all for not.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
Watch out ladies and gentlemen, the Houston Astros are coming! The defending champions from a year ago, the Astros are like a well-oiled machine with no signs for slowing down anytime soon. If there one thing that the Astros have become reliable in, it is the fact that they may boast one of the league's more ferocious hitters in left-fielder Yordan Alvarez. Yesterday, Alvarez got the party started early by taking a two-run blast into the outfield bleachers against Ohtani. As a whole, Alvarez has mashed 15 home runs and leads the league with 50 RBIs. Simply put, there are no hitters as dangerous as Alvarez at the moment as he could change the tide of the game with one swing of the bat.
Even more impressive has been the ace ways of Cristian Javier. Believe it or not, Javier has won each of his past four starts and has a stellar 1.96 ERA with 24 strikeouts in his last 23 innings pitched. During his career against the Angels in nine career appearances, Javier is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA. Clearly, it is within reason that Javier could single handily dispose of the Halos with his hard-throwing right arm.
Final Angels-Astros Prediction & Pick
While the Angels could be due for a bounce-back performance, it is highly unlikely. The Astros are absolutely rolling right now, and the fans in Houston should only make life even more difficult for Los Angeles to win on the road. Take the Astros and spend no time second-guessing.
Final Angels-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+122)
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