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The Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Los Angeles Angels. Our MLB odds series has our Pirates Angels prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pirates Angels.
The Los Angeles Angels are gaining ground in the American League wild card hunt. They swept the New York Yankees earlier in the week. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the first game of this weekend series. The Angels will then fly to Detroit early next week to take on the Tigers before they visit the Toronto Blue Jays next weekend. If the Angels can hammer the Bucs and Tigers over the next few days, they could potentially enter the Toronto series just one or two games behind the Blue Jays. If they then go into Canada and win that series, their position and outlook in the A.L. wild card derby could be dramatically different. Toronto is currently in the third A.L. wild card spot, so the Jays are a target for the Angels. Sure, they have to pass the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the standings, but the Jays are where they ultimately want to be.
Shohei Ohtani was far from his best as a pitcher on Friday, giving up several homers to the Pirates, but the Angel bats produced eight runs and gave Los Angeles its fourth consecutive victory. The Halos' bullpen has struggled a lot in July, but with the offense scoring at a high rate — even without Mike Trout — Los Angeles is gaining confidence and can realistically think about October, which is exactly what the franchise needs this year in order to make a legitimate bid at retaining Ohtani for the long run. Sweeping the Pirates this weekend is essential for the Halos.
Here are the Pirates-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Angels Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-125)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+104)
Over: 9.5 (+100)
Under: 9.5 (-122)
How To Watch Pirates vs. Angels
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh (Pirates) / Bally Sports West (Angels) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:07 p.m. ET/6:07 p.m. PT
*Watch Pirates-Angels LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates scored five runs against the Angels and hit several home runs against Shohei Ohtani on Friday. That alone doesn't mean the Pirates are going to win, but it does mean that guys are swinging the bats a little better and are gaining some rhythm. Over the course of 162 games, players and batting orders will fall into and out of a rhythm. The Pirates have been largely out of rhythm over the past month, but they might be showing signs of a revival. Add that to the probability that the Angels aren't going to score eight runs in this game the way they did on Friday. The Angels are in position to regress in this game, opening the door for the Buccos.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates, after Friday's loss to the Angels, are 8-25 in their last 33 games. They are simply playing horrible baseball. The Miami Marlins haven't won a game since the All-Star break, but that's an eight-game sample size. The Bucs have been bad for more than a month. That's a much clearer indication of where a team stands. The Angels, meanwhile, have won four in a row and are hitting well. They have covered a lot of spreads this week. Why stop betting on the Halos?
Final Pirates-Angels Prediction & Pick
The Angels are hot, the Pirates are not, and it's really that simple. Pick the Halos.
Final Pirates-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5
