The Texas Rangers take on the Los Angeles Angels. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Angels prediction and pick.
Dane Dunning gets the call for the Rangers, while Reid Detmers takes the bump for the Angels.
Dane Dunning has a 4.38 ERA. He is a pitcher with a relatively low ceiling. Even when he pitches particularly well, he usually allows several baserunners and has to pitch around hits or walks. One example: On June 24 against the Nationals, he allowed just one run in six innings, but he pitched around seven hits and a walk. On June 14 against the Astros, he pitched six scoreless innings but had to work around four walks. His best performance of the season was against the Braves on April 30, when he went 7 2/3 innings and allowed just one run on only four hits and no walks. He was in control and allowed very little action on the basepaths. The inability to get on top of opposing hitters and smother them limits what Dunning is capable of. His best games generally are two-run, six-inning games. When a 3.00 ERA is a pitcher's ceiling, that's a relatively low ceiling. The Rangers need to see if Dunning can raise that ceiling over the remaining two months of the season.
Reid Detmers pitched a no-hitter on May 10 against the Rays. He and the Angels were riding high back then. In the subsequent two and a half months, the Angels have crashed and burned. Detmers has not matched what he did on that special night, but after wobbling a bit, he has stabilized and given Los Angeles a steady presence in the starting rotation. Detmers' ERA after that no-hitter on May 10 was 3.77. His current ERA: 3.84. His ERA did rise to 4.66 on June 21. He then missed two and a half weeks. He returned on July 8 and has been brilliant ever since. In his three starts after his return to the rotation, Detmers has pitched to a 1.06 ERA: 17 innings pitched, two earned runs, no homers allowed. Let's see if he can keep it up.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rangers-Angels MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rangers-Angels Odds
Texas Rangers: +1.5 (-205)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (+168)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
Why The Rangers Could Cover the Spread
The Rangers are a better team than the Angels. They let one slip away on Saturday, blowing a 7-4 lead with six outs to go. The Angels scored five in the eighth to win. The Rangers are just about out of time in terms of making a run at an American League wild card spot. Mathematically, they're not out of it, trailing the Rays by 8.5 games. Realistically, though, they don't have much of a chance … unless they can get really hot and stay hot all the way to the end of the season on Oct. 5. The Rangers should be highly motivated to play their best in this game. Dane Dunning isn't a great pitcher, but he can give them six innings and allow three runs. That will give them a decent chance to win.
Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
After their stirring comeback on Saturday, the Angels — who scored just two runs combined in the first two games of this four-game series — should feel like a new team. Scoring nine runs in a game is something the Angels have rarely done since their tailspin began in late May. When everyone hits the ball well, that can change everything for a team. Dane Dunning is certainly a pitcher they can feast on. Meanwhile, Reid Detmers has been terrific since returning to the rotation in early July. He is pitching a lot better than Dunning right now. He gives the Halos a meaningful edge here.
Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick
If you want to bet on a Rangers-Angels game, you're basically flipping a coin. Did you predict that the Rangers would shut out the Angels and beat Shohei Ohtani on Thursday? Did you predict that the Rangers would take a 7-4 lead into the eighth and then give up five runs on Saturday? This is a volatile, unpredictable series. Stay away from this one, but if you insist on a pick, Detmers is pitching a lot better than Dunning, so go with the Angels.
Final Rangers-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5
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