Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
Saturday night features a battle of AL West rivals as the Houston Astros (2-0) take on the Los Angeles Angels (0-2). The Angels will host this one at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, with first pitch scheduled for 9:07 pm ET.
The Astros have taken the first two games of this series, including a 13-6 route on Friday night.
Houston unloaded for six home runs, including two in an eight-run seventh inning. Jose Altuve led off the game with a home run while Jeremy Pena went three for four, including his first major league hit and first major league home run. Kyle Tucker also added a pair of home runs on the night.
Reid Detmers pitched well in the start for the Angels, giving up just two runs in four innings. The wheels fell off after that, though, as four relievers combined to give up 11 runs.
Offensively, Jared Walsh went two for three with a run batted in, while Shohei Ohtani picked up his first hit while also scoring a run.
The Astros are the favorites Saturday night despite playing on the road.
They are -126 to win while the Angels’ moneyline sits at +108. The runline features Los Angeles +1.5 (-154), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Pitching Matchup
The pitching matchup Saturday night features two veteran hurlers squaring off as Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Astros against the Angels’ Noah Syndergaard.
After missing all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander re-signed with the Astros this offseason. Making his first start in well over a year, he will look to give his team the chance to pick up their third win of the season.
In spring training, Verlander went 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings over four starts.
In an effort to try to bolster their rotation, the Angels signed Syndergaard to a one-year, $21 million deal. After not pitching at all in 2020, he went just 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts for the Mets last year.
This spring training, Syndergaard went 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings.
Astros Look To Carry Offense Into Saturday
After leading the majors in scoring last season (5.34 runs per game), the Astros showed that their offense is still as lethal as ever in 2022. They will look to carry their offense explosion over to Saturday’s game against a tough Noah Syndergaard.
Any concerns that Astros fans may have had after the departure of Carlos Correa this offseason may have been quieted by Jeremy Pena’s performance through two games. Not only has he been solid defensively, but on Friday, he went three for five with a single, double, and a solo home run.
Another good sign for Astros’ fans is Alex Bregman’s performance through two games. After playing injured in 2021 and having wrist surgery in the offseason, Bregman has homered in each of the first two games.
Angels Just Waiting To Breakout
While Friday’s game ultimately got away from the Angels, the way the game ended may give the Angels a bit of momentum heading into Saturday’s game. They were able to put up three runs in the eighth inning and burned through a couple more of Houston’s bullpen arms.
The Angels have to be thrilled to see the combination of Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Anthony Rendon in their lineup, something that has only happened 17 times last season, but these three have yet to bust out this year.
The three of them are a combined 3 for 22 through the first two games, but it is only a matter of time until they break out. Rendon and Ohtani have never faced off against Verlander, while Trout is hitting .160 in 25 at bats against him with a solo home run.
Take The Angels +1.5
Both teams are in similar boats in this game. They are both turning to starters that have not pitched much in the last two years but have the potential to dominate when healthy and clicking.
The one advantage that the Angels have is that Syndergaard at least got a couple of starts at the end of last season with the Mets, while this will be Verlander’s first start since 2020.
Don’t expect either starter to go especially deep in this one, meaning it could boil down to a battle of the bullpens. This one will likely be much closer than Friday’s contest, and for that reason, take the Angels at +1.5 on the runline.
