The Kansas City Royals host the Los Angeles Angels for Game 2 of a three-game series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Royals prediction and pick.
Game 1 was a pitching duel between the starters for the majority of the game. Fans got to see vintage performances from Noah Syndergaard and Zack Greinke. The score was 0-0 until Michael Taylor singled in a run off of Syndergaard in the 6th inning. From then the Royals kept scoring and found a way to win 7-0 against the struggling Angels. With Mike Trout on the 10-day IL, it's going to be a rough few weeks without him. The Royals will look to win the series tonight.
Here are the Angels-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Royals Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-192)
Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 8.5 (-120)
Under: 8.5 (-102)
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Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Left-hander Jose Suarez will start game two. The lefty is (1-4) with a 5.60 ERA in nine starts this season. He allowed six runs in 3.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start before the All-Star break. Suarez hasn't had a solid start since June 26 against the Seattle Mariners. He will need to be on his game tonight if the Angels want a chance at covering this spread. It's obvious this team is struggling and the pitching isn't doing enough to win games.
Without Trout, the task gets even harder because Trout means so much to this team. It's quite remarkable that the Halos have continued to find ways to lose games with all the talent on that roster. Shohei Ohtani can't do it all himself as Trout has even proven he can't do it alone either. Taylor Ward, Brandon Marsh, and Jared Walsh have all been hitting well this season but they are not seeing any production from anyone else. The 2022 season is already looking like it's lost hope for the Halos if they don't turn it around right now.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Rookie left-hander Angel Zerpa will start tonight. Zerpa is (2-0) in one start this season with a 1.29 ERA. He's only pitched in 12 innings for his career and seven this season, but his only run allowed was a home run off of Matt Chapman. He pitched five innings last season against the Cleveland Indians at the time and only allowed three hits and zero earned runs. In his last start against the Blue Jays, he allowed four hits and struck out two hitters. If he continues to pitch well then the Angels will have a long night tonight once again.
It will be interesting to see how this team can replicate their performance. Greinke is 38 years old and the Royals are starting a 22-year-old rookie tonight. That is a 16-year age difference which is something you don't see very often in the rotation.
With Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi on the trade market, it's unclear how much longer this lineup will be intact. Merrifield is hitting well since his return from injury but hasn't had the season he had hoped. Benintendi played himself into the Midsummer Classic as he was one of the best hitters in the first half. Look for those two to try and lead them past the Angels again tonight. As it could be just a few more weeks until the younger stars like Bobby Witt Jr., Winnie Pasquantino, Nick Pratto, and MJ Melendez are leading the way.
Final Angels-Royals Prediction & Pick
The Angels are struggling and the Royals are the favorites in this game. It's hard to have any confidence in LA right now without Trout in the lineup. That's the biggest factor for tonight. Take Kansas City to cover this spread at home.
Final Angels-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals -1.5 (+158)
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