The Los Angeles Angels will take on the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Angels-Rangers prediction and pick for this contest in the AL West.
These AL West division rivals have had very different seasons. The Angels have exceeded most expectations set for them in the preseason, earning a 24-14 record and second place in the division. The Rangers, coming off of a highly touted offseason, haven't had nearly as much success. Texas is only 15-19 on the season, a record that has them out of first place by seven games already.
The Rangers need to start turning things around, and they did enjoy a good start to this series with a 7-4 victory on Monday. The home team will look to keep it up.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Angels-Rangers odds.
MLB odds: Angel-Rangers Odds
Los Angeles Angels ML: (-126)
Texas Rangers ML: (+108)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
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Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers are set to send starting pitcher Taylor Hearn to the mound in this game. Hearn has been terrible this season, earning a 5.26 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He has also already faced the Angels once this season, and that outing didn't go well. The lefty gave up three runs over three innings, earning himself the loss. There are five Los Angeles hitters with a batting average of .400 or higher against Hearn, making this a prime matchup for this Angels lineup.
The advanced stats also show that this is a terrible matchup for Hearn. The Rangers starter gives up a 16% barrel percentage, one of the worst numbers in the league. The Angels have five players who barrel up the ball at an above-average rate. Hearn also allows his opponents a 47% hard-hit percentage. That, combined with the barrel percentage, should lead to a high rate of extra-base hits throughout every inning that Hearn pitches.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Angels do have the pitching advantage in this matchup, but it isn't by much. Reid Detmers will start this game for Los Angeles. Detmers has significantly better numbers than Hearn, but his history against the Rangers doesn't inspire any confidence. In his last start against Texas, Detmers was rocked for five runs over three innings of work. There are six hitters in the Texas lineup who have an outstanding track record against Detmers, making this pitching matchup even less favorable.
Home-field advantage will help the Rangers out in this matchup. Texas is a slightly better offensive team when playing at home, earning a better batting average, slugging percentage, OBP, and OPS when playing in Globe Life Field. Detmers is also a significantly worse when he pitches on the road. His ERA jumps from 1.96 in Angel Stadium to a whopping 9.00 when he pitches anywhere else. The lefty also allows opposing hitters to bat .303 during his road starts, one of the worst numbers in MLB.
Final Angels-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Angels should win this game, but they aren't the most appealing pick on the board. The over should cash with ease. Hearn is a good bet to be lit up, and Detmers has a terrible track record on the road. Hammer that over and hopefully enjoy plenty of fireworks at the plate.
Final Angels-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Over: 8.5 (-105)
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