Welcome back to another edition of MLB baseball! On Friday evening, the Houston Astros will remain in Anaheim to battle it out with the Los Angeles Angels. Check out our MLB odds series, where our Astros-Angels prediction and pick will be made.
The Astros downed the Angels during both squad's opening day matchup on Thursday by a score of 3-1. Houston will look to start off the year at 2-0 with RHP Jake Odorizzi in line to start for the Astros, as the 32-year-old veteran was up and down a season ago with a 6-7 record and a 4.21 ERA. The Astros won the AL Pennant in 2021 in large part to an impressive 95-67 regular-season record.
Los Angeles enters Friday's matchup coming up short at Angel Stadium yesterday after only recording four hits throughout the evening. LA was 77-85 and 39-42 at home a season ago.
The Angels' number one prospect in left-hander Reid Detmers will get the green light to unleash his nastiness, as the 22-year-old showed promise in his last start in the Cactus League by fanning 11 batters and only giving up two runs on six hits.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Astros-Angels MLB odds:
MLB odds: Astros-Angels Odds
Houston Astros: +1.5 (-192)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+155)
Over: 9.5 (-114)
Under: 9.5 (-106)
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Why the Astros Could Cover the Spread
If it works, then don't fix it! Fun fact: the Houston Astros haven't lost an Opening Day matchup in a decade! Houston couldn't have gotten off to a better start in 2022, as the Angels had no answer for starter Framber Valdez, who only gave up two hits in six innings pitched.
Houston can only hope that their contagious stellar pitching efforts can continue with eleven-year man Jake Odorizzi, who has shown glimpses of success over his lengthy career. Odorizzi struggled in his first season as an Astro in 2021, and he would love to get off to a better start in 2022 and prove to Houston that he can be reliable in key situations. With the return of Justin Verlander after Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the 2021 season, the ‘Stros pitching staff is locked and loaded for another championship run. In 2021. Houston's pitching had a collective 3.78 ERA while averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yes, the Astros did lose one of the best shortstops in the game in Carlos Correa to free agency, but Houston still possesses a dangerous lineup that is capable of wreaking havoc on opposing pitching. The emergence of right-fielder Kyle Tucker has given the Astros batting order a sense of lethal-ness, as Tucker took the league by storm in 2021 with his .294 batting average and 30 home runs hit.
If the Astros are going to cover the spread, they would most likely want to get more production from their offense, as they had only scored one run through seven innings at one point. Consider this a case of shaking off the rust, as they should be more dynamic versus a young, unproven pitcher.
Why the Angels Could Cover the Spread
Despite international two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani limiting the Astros lineup to one run and striking out nine batters through 4 2/3 innings pitched, the Angels looked the part of a team playing its first game on offense. Ohtani did all he could and reminded baseball fans worldwide why he is the reigning AL MVP. The Japanese phenom will most likely occupy the DH spot ahead of Friday's AL West matchup, as Ohtani will look to rebound after an 0-4 outing at the plate.
As LA plans on warming up the bats in early April, the Angels hope they can provide the 10th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft with some run support. If there is any good news heading into this matchup for Los Angeles, it is that Detmers actually pitched a rather commanding game in his first career start on Aug 15th against this same Astros team. During his debut, Detmers did a fantastic job in keeping Houston hitters off-balance by mixing up his pitches resulting in only a singular run being scored off him on three hits in six innings pitched. It is without question that LA has high expectations for the young and ambitious Detmers.
One stat that might persuade bettors to side with Los Angeles is their general success against Jake Odorizzi. In eight career starts versus the Angels, Odorizzi hasn't been his best self, with a 5.00 ERA in those specific outings.
Final Astros-Angels Prediction & Pick
This clash of west-coast teams is always an entertaining one, becasue the rivalry between the Astros and Angels is as present as it's ever been. At first glance, the advanced stats are not in Houston's favor. The Angels have historically roughed Odorizzi up, and it should not be expected that Los Angeles will struggle as they did on Thursday at the plate. With the line currently sitting at -1.5 in favor of LA, it is worth taking a flyer assuming that their rusty hitting is no more.
Final Astros-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (+155)
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