This afternoon the rubber match is on tap between the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago White Sox. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-White Sox prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Angels cannot consistently string together winning streaks. After winning six of seven games, the Angels have now lost four of their last five. It has dropped them to a 29-27 record on the season, as they sit seven games behind the Texas Rangers for first in the division. Last night the issue was Tyler Anderson. Anderson was able to pitch just four innings, giving up six hits, two walks, and six runs in that time. He ended up putting the Angels in a hole they could not come back from. Lucas Giolito was not amazing for the White Sox, but he was able to do enough to snag the win. Luis Robert Jr., and Jake Burger both has three hits in the game, as Andrew Vaughn drove in three for the win.
Here are the Angels-White Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-White Sox Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-178)
Chicago White Sox: -1.5 (+150)
Over: 9 (-118)
Under: 9 (-104)
How To Watch Angels vs. White Sox
TV: BSW/NBCSCH
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 2:10 PM ET/ 11:10 AM PT
*See how to watch Angels-White Sox LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Angels have a top-ten offense in the majors this year. They are ninth in slugging percentage, tenth in on base and runs, and 11th in batting average on the year. Even in the advanced metrics they are hitting well. They are top 10 in barrel percentage, hard-hit ball percentage, exit velocity, and expected on-base percentage. The problem is that all the major statistics are carried by a few players hitting well; if they are not, the lineup falters. Anthony Rendon has been injured this year, and while good in the lineup, he has not been available. Taylor Ward is hitting just .216, the worst among any qualified player on the Angels. He has been struggling to make contact all year long as well. Similarly, Brandon Drury has been nearly as bad, hitting .226.
For the Angels to win, the best on the team must produce. Gio Urshela has been doing that recently, hitting .316 this month. Undeniably, he is a guy who needs to be scoring runs with the men behind him driving him in, but he has only scored six times this month. Shohei Ohtani has been driving in runs this year, with a team-leading 34 RBIs, but he is hitting just .230 in May. Mike Trout has driven in 11 this month, but like Ohtani, is not hitting great, hitting just .242 on the month.
Therefore, while the offense struggled with consistency, they will have to be bailed out by pitching. The Angels will send Jaime Barria to the mound to do that. This will be just his second start of the year, as he has been primarily used in relief on the season. His only start of the season was five innings of two-hit baseball.
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
The White Sox have Luis Robert Jr. When he plays well, it means good things for the offense of the White Sox. This month, he is playing great. While hitting .316 this month, he has driven in 17 runs with eight home runs. Still, he has had some bad games that have hurt the offense. He has nine games this month where he has struck out multiple times. Seven of those games have been losses.
While Luis Robert leads the team in RBIs and home runs, Jake Burger is also contributing heavily. Burger has ten home runs this year with 24 RBIs. Since missing games for injury at the start of the month, Burger is hitting .310 with three home runs and ten RBIs. Still, Burger has not hit a long ball since May 17th, which was his third in three games.
Lance Lynn will be on the mound today, and he is hopefully coming out of his early season struggles. In April, Lynn was 0-4 with an 8.00 ERA. His two starts of May did not go well either. In the first two starts, he went a combined 11.2 innings giving up 11 earned runs. Since then, he has pitched 19 innings and given up just four earned runs in the process.
Final Angels-White Sox Prediction & Pick
The Angels have been very off and on in their performances this year. They can score runs with ease in one game, and struggle to score just a day later. Until they can figure out how to get consistency from players, not names Trout and Ohtani, they will continue to struggle. The Angels send a pitcher to the mound without a major track record as a starter but have still pitched great this year. Lynn has been better as of late, but each game has been stressful with him on the cusp of giving up the big inning. He does that today, and the Angels get a win.
Final Angels-White Sox Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Angels +1.5 (-178)
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