Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Angels will continue their road trip as they down the I-45 South to begin a three-game series with the Houston Astros. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make an Angels-Astros prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Angels are struggling to do much of anything this season. Despite their struggles, the Halos covered the spread in all three games against the Texas Rangers this past weekend.
The Astros won two of three games this past weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers. Yet, they covered the spread in just one of the three contests.
The Astros won the season series 9-4 in 2023. Prior to that, they were 69-36 against the Angels between 2017 and 2022. The Astros have been completely dominant. Now, they hope to continue this dominance and bring out a good pitcher.
Reid Detmers starts for the Angels. He is 3-4 with a 5.19 ERA. Recently, he tossed five innings while allowing five runs, four earned, while allowing five hits and striking out seven in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was his fifth straight start where he has produced mediocre results. Therefore, he continues to try and break out of his slump after a hot start but will have a tough time against a team he is 1-3 with a 6.42 ERA over seven career games against.
Framber Valdez starts for the Astros. He is 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA. Amazingly, he is coming off a game where he hurled seven shutout innings while allowing two hits and striking out eight. Valdez is 9-4 with a 3.68 ERA over 18 games in his career against the Halos.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Astros Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-128)
Moneyline: +172
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+106)
Moneyline: -205
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
How to Watch Mets vs. Rays
Time: 8:10 PM ET/5:10 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports West
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Angels Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Angels are simply a bad team. Yet, their hitting has not been completely awful. In fact, they are 12th in batting average and 17th in on-base percentage. Additionally, the Halos are also 14th in runs, eighth in home runs, and ninth in slugging percentage.
Nolan Schanuel has struggled to start the season. Currently, he is batting .226 with four home runs, 15 RBIs, and 13 runs. Logan O'Hoppe is also struggling to hit the baseball. Significantly, he is hitting .259 with three home runs, 19 RBIs, and 17 runs, and it will be his first time facing Valdez.
Taylor Ward was productive against the Astros in 2023, batting .341 with 15 hits, one home run, six RBIs, and seven runs over 10 games. Additionally, he is batting .462 (12 for 26) with one RBI in his career against Valdez. But the Halos will also need good hitting from Willie Calhoun and Zach Neto. Ultimately, Neto comes in with a 2 for 8 mark against the pitcher, with both hits being home runs.
The Angels have poor pitching again. Unfortunately, they are 28th in team ERA. The Halos also have the worst bullpen in baseball. Therefore, things have been a struggle, and their relievers have to find ways to locate the strike zone and avoid making critical mistakes late in the game.
The Angels will cover the spread if they can force Valdez into long counts. Then, they need Detmers to figure things out and work through his struggles, and beat a dangerous lineup.
Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Astros are one of the best-hitting teams in baseball. Currently, they rank first in batting average. The Astros are also fifth in on-base percentage, 12th in runs, sixth in home runs, and fifth in slugging percentage.
Jose Altuve has dominated the Angels in his career. So far, he is batting .319 with 215 hits, 21 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 108 runs through 171 games against the Halos in his career. Alex Bregman is another dangerous weapon who has done well against the Halos. Significantly, he is hitting .291 with 111 hits, 19 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 71 runs over 103 contests against their divisional rivals.
Yordan Alvarez has also clubbed the ball consistently against the Halos. Therefore, he sits at .286 with 58 hits, nine home runs, 37 RBIs, and 33 runs over 56 games with the Angels. Kyle Tucker will bat behind him. Ultimately, he is hitting .275 with 67 hits, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 47 runs over 69 games against the Halos.
The Astros have been struggling to locate the strike zone this season. They are 27th in team ERA and 28th in walks per nine innings. However, the bullpen has improved over the last few weeks. So far, they are 17th in team ERA.
The Astros will cover the spread if they continue to club the baseball against the Angels. Then, Valdez must dominate them and locate his pitches.
Final Angels-Astros Prediction & Pick
The Astros covered the spread in two of the last three games against the Angels at Minute Maid Park. with matching 11-3 victories. Overall, the teams have split the last six games when it comes to covering the spread. But the Astros enjoy playing this team at home. In fact, they almost always hit home runs that eventually put the game away. Expect the same thing to happen as Detmers continues to struggle against the Astros.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Angels-Astros Prediction & Pick: Houston Astros: -1.5 (+106)
