Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals began this three-game series on Monday night with the result being what almost everyone expected. Seth Lugo and the Royals beat the Angels as -232 favorites. However, the Angels flipped the script on Tuesday night with a 9-5 victory over Cole Ragans. It was the Angels' second win in their last eight games, while the Royals had their five-game win streak broken. The Royals are tied for second in a difficult American League Central but are 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race. The Angels are one of the worst teams in the majors, sitting tied with the Oakland Athletics for second-last in the American League. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Royals prediction and pick.
Angels-Royals Projected Starters
Johnny Cueto vs. Michael Lorenzen
Johnny Cueto had four starts in Triple-A with the Salt Lake Bees this season, pitching 23 1/3 innings with a 3.09 ERA and 15 strikeouts. Cueto signed a free agent minor league contract with the Angels after beginning the year in the Texas Rangers organization. Cueto didn't get a contract after recording a 6.02 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP last season with the Miami Marlins.
Michael Lorenzen (6-6) with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
Last Start: @ Reds, 5 2/3 IP, 3 SO, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 ER
2024 Home Splits: (1-2) with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Royals Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +165
Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+100)
Moneyline: -200
Over: 9 (-115)
Under: 9 (-105)
How to Watch Angels vs. Royals
Time: 8:10 PM ET/5:10 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Networks
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Angels Will Cover The Spread/Win
Michael Lorenzen had a few good starts over his last five, but the Royals have lost four of those five because he can't make it far into games. The Royals bullpen hasn't been too good this season, owning a 4.28 ERA overall and a 5.60 mark over their last three games. The Angels exploited that in their win on Tuesday night, scoring seven runs over the final four innings.
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Angels could have started Jose Soriano in this game, who is on four days rest and performing the best out of the Angels' starting staff. However, they opted to re-call Cueto to face his old team in Kansas City. It's a nice story for him to get one more chance to pitch at Kaufmann Stadium, but his numbers last season give no reason to believe he can perform against the Royals. Cueto had a solid four starts in Salt Lake, but this game will be a different story.
The Royals offense has been firing on all cylinders recently, batting .288 with a .343 on-base percentage and 6.6 runs/nine over their last ten games. It could be a sour welcome for Cueto in his return to Kansas City.
Final Angels-Royals Prediction & Pick
Now and then a good story comes along to break up the monotony of a long MLB season. This game could be one of those stories, where Cueto returns to the league and shuts down his former team. However, we bet on statistics and not feel-good stories, so we must take the Royals in this matchup. Cueto is over the hill and the Royals are averaging almost four runs/nine more than the Angels over the last ten games.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Angels-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals -1.5 (+100)
