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The Los Angeles Angels take on the Texas Rangers. Check out our MLB odds series for our Angels Rangers prediction and pick.
Shohei Ohtani gets the start for the Angels, while Dane Dunning takes the mound for the Rangers.
Shohei Ohtani has a 2.78 ERA. He gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings in one of his starts on April 14. Interestingly enough, that start was against the Rangers in Arlington, so everyone will be interested to see if Ohtani can adjust to Texas's batting order in this game. In Ohtani's other five starts, he has been superb, allowing no more than two runs in any of them. In those five starts, Ohtani has given up four runs in 28 2/3 innings. His quality as a pitcher is unmistakable, and that's one reason the Angels are off to a good start this season.
Dane Dunning has a 4.06 ERA. He did not give up more than three runs in any of his first six starts this season. Then he gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings last Friday (May 13) against the Red Sox. Dunning presents a complicated profile as a pitcher. On one hand, he is not overwhelming. In 37 2/3 innings pitched so far this season, he has allowed 34 hits. Yet, he does manage to strike out hitters: 37 in his 37 2/3 innings, basically one hitter per inning of work. These numbers make it harder, not easier, to formulate an Angels Rangers prediction based on the MLB odds.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Angels-Rangers MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Angels-Rangers Odds
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (-110)
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-110)
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
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Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
The Angels are having a good season thus far, but they have run into a roadblock in Arlington. After losing the first two games of this series, would you trust the Rangers to sweep the Halos out of town, or would you bet that Los Angeles can salvage one game in this series? The MLB odds should certainly point to the Halos, who have had a few lulls this season but have minimized their slumps whenever they have happened. One also has to realize that the Rangers' seven-run eighth inning on Tuesday night gave them their first win this season when trailing after seven innings. That was a one-off occurrence, not a real sign of a trend.
The Angels have to love this pitching matchup. They get to send Shohei Ohtani to the mound. He has been consistently good, and Dane Dunning isn't as good a pitcher. Hitters are batting just .192 against Ohtani's four-seam fastball. Don't make this overly complicated when you formulate your Angels Rangers pick.
Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
After Tuesday's game, it is worth wondering if an Angel nosedive is just around the corner. Yes, the Angels have been great to start the season. They have looked like a contender. However, the Angels' bullpen has been surprisingly good. Emphasize the word “surprising.” Few thought this bullpen was going to be airtight, but it surpassed all expectations in the first five weeks of the season. Tuesday's loss was the kind of bullpen disaster the Angels suffered on many occasions last year. Bullpen erosion would instantly weaken the Angels and reduce their margin for error.
Texas is not an especially strong team, but the Rangers are just three games under .500 (16-19) even though new acquisition Marcus Semien has had an absolutely awful start to his season after tearing it up last year with the Blue Jays. He is 2 for his last 35 at the plate. Imagine what this team can become if Semien starts hitting and helps Corey Seager, Jonah Heim, and Adolis Garcia.
Final Angels-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Angels might be overrated right now, but they're unlikely to get swept by the Rangers. The over is also a good play here, given the low number plus the reality that the Angels have a good chance to bust out and score six or seven runs against Dunning and the Texas bullpen.
Final Angels-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5, over 7.5
