Two teams that are quickly running out of time to turn their seasons around will meet on the diamond as the Texas Rangers begin a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. It is about that time to take an exclusive look at our MLB odds series, where our Rangers-Angels prediction and pick will be made.
After an abysmal stretch that has seen the Rangers limp their way to a 43-54 mark by going 2-9 in their last 11, winning one game at a time is priority number one for Texas. While they will need to dig themselves out of a deep hole, crazier things have happened in the sport of baseball. In an attempt to rejuvenate the troops, Texas will call upon right-hander Spencer Howard who has struggled at times with a 1-2 record and 7.11 ERA in his limited sample size.
Obviously a major advantage, the Angels will hope to use a stellar outing from Ohtani to begin to hopefully save what has been a disastrous season up to this point. The two-way superstar remains one of the game's best pitchers with a 9-5 record and a 2.80 ERA to boot.
Here are the Rangers-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Angels Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-113)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (-105)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
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Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
Barely sitting above the Angels in the third-place slot in the AL West, winning baseball games has never been direr for the Rangers. While Texas has seen its fair share of wins pile up consecutively earlier in the year, they have not been able to remain consistent enough to keep things rolling. In fact, their streaky ways have cost them dearly.
Without a doubt, the Rangers are smack dab in the middle of what has been a pretty lackluster American League West division. A big part of that has been the underwhelming play of both the Rangers and the Angels, as both sides have performed far below expectations coming into the season. Regardless, one side is destined to come out triumphant in hopes to undergo a miraculous season turnaround.
In order to cover the spread, Texas must have a quick memory after recently getting swept by Seattle. The bats were colder than a room full of ex-wives, as the Rangers combined to score only nine runs during the three-game series. Already a team that has showcased a few holes in the bats on the season, the Rangers certainly cannot afford to not hit against LA.
To make matters worse, the pitching statistics suggest that they haven't been a whole lot better from the rubber. Approaching 100 games played on the season, Texas is tied for the 20th-best ERA at 4.10 and only has 31 quality starts under their belts. In one career start versus the Angels, expected twirler Spencer Howard has seen his fair shares of up and downs at the major league level. A standout in Triple-A, Howard's lone start against the Angels came in and he gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings of limited action back on August 5th of last year.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
Year after year, the Angels always seem to outdo themselves when it comes to not living up to the hype. Prior to the 2022 MLB season, it appeared that Los Angeles had all of the pieces to be a possible contender in the American League. The Angels even stormed out of the gates hot during the first month of the campaign, going 27-17 and providing hope to the people of Anaheim. Then, LA seemed to hit a brick wall at full speed. The losses begin to mount, and now with only a few days left in July, Los Angeles needs to get hot to avoid another letdown of a season.
With Mike Trout remaining on the bench with rib and back injuries, the Angels will need other playmakers to step up to fill that kind of production. It all starts with possibly the face of the league in “Shotime” himself, as the Rangers will be getting double-trouble when suiting up for play this evening. With an electric bat and a dominant pitching presence, there hasn't been quite a player like Ohtani since Babe Ruth nearly 100 years ago. Anything is possible when Ohtani laces up the cleats and squares off with his opposition on the diamond.
Don't sleep on the rest of the pitching arms in the Angels clubhouse as well. With Los Angeles coming off back-to-back shutouts in Kansas City, the Angels' arms are definitely one of the lone bright spots on this team. The offense is prone to hit dry spells, so look for Ohtani and the Angels bullpen to carry the load if they are going to cover the spread.
Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick
A pair of mediocre teams square off on the diamond with desperation at an all-time high. What could go wrong? Shohei Ohtani will shut down the Rangers in this one and the Angels will do just enough at the plate to take care of business.
Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (-105)