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The Houston Astros take on the Los Angeles Angels. Check out our MLB odds series for our Astros Angels prediction and pick.
Luis Garcia takes the ball for the Astros, while Noah Syndergaard gets the starting nod for the Angels.
Luis Garcia has a 3.81 ERA. He has bounced around this season, going from a 4.15 ERA in April to a 2.33 ERA for the month of May to a 4.23 ERA for the month of June. In his most recent appearance on July 5, the Royals tagged him for five runs in 6 1/3 innings. Garcia can pitch really well, and sometimes he has. He limited the Yankees to one run in 5 1/3 innings. He has had four other starts this season in which he has allowed no more than one earned run. However, he sometimes labors a lot and can't deliver the efficiency the Astros need. He has failed to pitch five full innings in three of his starts this season. He doesn't eat up innings at the level the other Astro starters do. Being able to pitch six solid innings on a more regular basis is a target he should shoot for.
Noah Syndergaard has been even more volatile than Garcia on a per-month basis. Syndergaard began the year with an April ERA of 2.12. In May, he sharply regressed — as did the Angels — when he posted a 5.40 ERA. In June, he brought his ERA to 3.60 for that particular month. In his last start on July 5, he allowed two runs to the Marlins in five innings, which translates to a 3.60 ERA for that one game. Is Syndergaard going to maintain his recent trend of pitching to a mid-three ERA (3.35 to 3.70), or are we going to see another abrupt change in his trajectory for 2022? If that trajectory changes, will it be for better or worse?
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Astros-Angels MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Astros-Angels Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+126)
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-152)
Over: 8 (-114)
Under: 8 (-106)
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Why The Astros Could Cover the Spread
The Astros are a far better team, having a far better season, and playing well in recent weeks. The Astros have not lost a series since a three-game set against the Marlins from June 10-12. In the past month, Houston has won three of five against the Yankees and gone 4-0 against the Mets, two of the best teams in baseball. The Astros are 4-1 in their last five road games. The Angels have been a disaster over the past month and a half. Los Angeles has lost four in a row and eight of its last 10. This team has never recovered from that 14-game losing streak which got Joe Maddon fired as the team's manager.
Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
It won't happen often for the Angels against Houston, but in this case, their starter — Syndergaard — has a lower ERA than the Astros' starting pitcher, Garcia. It's a pitching matchup Los Angeles can work with. The Astros also are without Yordan Alvarez, who is injured. That could significantly affect what Houston is able to achieve on offense in this game. It's impossible to ignore how much Alvarez, a legitimate American League MVP candidate, means to his team.
Final Astros-Angels Prediction & Pick
It's a stay-away game precisely because of the Alvarez injury, but if you think you have to make a bet on this game, you certainly wouldn't want to put all your chips on the Angels.
Final Astros-Angels Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5
