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It is game two of a doubleheader between the Los Angeles Angels and the Detroit Tigers. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Tigers prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
After rain postponed the game yesterday, the Angels and Tigers will play a doubleheader on Thursday. In the first game, Shohei Ohtani and Michael Lorenzen will face off at 1:10 PM ET. Then, following the conclusion of the first game, the two will be back at it for a second clash. The Angels were busy as the game was postponed. First, the Angels announced they would not be trading Shohei Ohtani. Then, the front office went out and got help for Shohei, making a push for the playoffs. The Angels traded for Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez in a trade that gave the White Sox two top prospects.
The Angels made this trade after winning six of the last seven games, and are 52-49 on the season. They are seven games back of the Rangers in the race for the AL West, and four games back of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card chase. Meanwhile, the Tigers are falling out of playoff contention. They are 6.5 games back of the Twins in the AL Central, sitting at 46-55 on the season.
Here are the Angels-Tigers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Tigers Odds
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+140)
Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (-170)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Angels vs. Tigers
TV: BSW/BSDET
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 4:40 PM ET/ 1:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Angels offense has been rolling as of late. They have scored 38 runs in the last seven games and continue to play well. They are seventh in runs scored, ninth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging. Ohtani is the focus of this squad. Not only does Ohtani lead the team in ERA, Wins, and strikeouts, but he also leads in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.
Ohtani is still hitting well at the dish. He is hitting just .241 on the month, but he has driven in ten runs while getting on base at a .409 on-base percentage. Ohtani has hit six home runs, two triples, and a double. He has also scored 17 times. It is possible Ohtani does not play in game two. He is scheduled to start game one of the doubleheader and he could easily be a target to rest in game two.
Driving in a ton of runs as of late is Taylor Ward. Ward has driven in eight runs in the last five games while hitting two home runs. On the month, he is hitting .309 with a .435 on-base percentage. Ward has driven in 13 runs this month, while also scoring 11 times. He has done that with three home runs and six doubles on the month. Ward now has hits and RBIs in four of his last five games, and in the other, he walked twice and was hit by a pitch while going 0-1.
The hot bat at the time is Mickey Moniak. Moniak is hitting .358 on the month with an on-base percentage of .386. While doing that he has hit three home runs and driving in 14 runs this month. Moniak also has scored nine times while also hitting three doubles. Moniak is on a 15-game hitting streak and has a hit in every game he has had an at-bat since July 1st. Meanwhile, he has either driven in a run or scored one in 13 of the last 15 games he has an at-bat. Joining Moniak in hitting well is Luis Rengifo. Rengifo is hitting .313 with a .389 on-base percentage. He has driven in nine runs this month while hitting five home runs. Last time out he hit a triple, drove in a run, and scored twice. He has scored four runs in the last two games and three RBIs.
Patrick Sandoval will be on the mound today for the Angels. Sandoval is 5-7 on the year with a 4.16 ERA. He had a rough month in June, going 2-2 with a 7.11 ERAS. Since then he has been great. This month he has pitched 12.1 innings and gave up just three runs, two of them earned. That gives him a 1.46 ERA with a 1-0 record. He has also struck out 12 batters in those two games.
Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
While the Tiger's offense is bad, the pitching is better. The Tigers are 19th in team ERA, seventh in WHIP, and tenth in opponent batting average. It will be Matt Manning on the mound today for the Tigers. He is 3-1 on the season with a 3.19 ERA. In July he has been amazing. This month he has made four starts and pitched 19.1 innings giving up six runs, five earned. That gives him a 2.33 ERA on the month with a 2-0 record. Last time out he was pitching well. He went two innings giving up just one hit and keeping his pitch count low. He was pulled after a long rain delay and the Tigers ended up losing the game. It was the first game this month the Tigers lost with Manning on the mound.
The Tiger's offense has been awful this year. They are sitting 28th in runs scored, 28th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, and 29th in slugging. The two best players on the Tiger's offense are Spencer Torkelson and Zach McKinstry. Torkelson leads the team in home runs and RBIs on the season, but still, neither value places him in the top 40 in the majors. Torkelson continues to drive in runs this month. He has 16 RBIs this month, including four in the last three games. This month he also has four home runs with five doubles and a triple. Torkelson has also scored 12 times. He is hitting just .266 on the month and has an OBP of .322.
McKinstry leads the team in batting average but is struggling as of late. He has just one hit in his last 12 at-bats, while he has six strikeouts. McKinstry is not driving in a lot of runs either. He has just four RBIs on the month with the help of two home runs. His only RBI since the first game of July was on a solo home run on July 21st. McKinstry has struggled heavily with runners in scoring position this month, wasting plenty of opportunities for more RBIs.
Final Angels-Tigers Prediction & Pick
The Angels are in the midst of a playoff chase. In a normal situation, it would be highly likely that the Angels would rest players in one of the two games with the Tigers. After the moves last night, the Angels have made it clear that they are making a run at the playoffs. With that, it is much more likely that they will not be resting players. If they are not resting players, the offense for the Angels is much better. Even more, they have a major edge in the pitching game. Pick the Angels over the Tigers in this one.
Final Angels-Tigers Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (+140)
