Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
The AL West will be on full display Wednesday night as the Houston Astros (90-61) will square off with the Los Angeles Angels (72-79). The Angels will host this one at Angel Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:38 pm ET.
This will be the third of a four-game series between the two teams. The Astros took the first two games, including a 10-5 win on Tuesday.
In the win, the Astros hit four home runs, including Jose Altuve’s 29th and Kyle Tucker’s 27th. They have now scored 20 runs in the first two games of this series.
The Angels got home runs out of Shohei Ohtani, Jack Mayfield, and Phil Gosselin, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Houston. Starter Packy Naughton lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on four hits and three walks.
The Astros are the favorites Wednesday despite playing on the road. They are -210 to win while the Angels’ moneyline sits at +176. The runline features Los Angeles +1.5 (+106), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Pitching Matchup
Houston will send AL Rookie of the Year contender Luis Garcia (+1300) to the mound in this one. On the season, Garcia is 11-7 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and has struck out 160 in 144.1 innings.
The Angels will counter with righty Janson Junk. He will be making just his third start as he is currently 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and has four strikeouts in eight innings.
By The Numbers
The Astros have been the best offense in baseball this season. In terms of scoring, they rank first, averaging 5.37 runs per game (5.45 on the road). The Angels rank 18th, averaging 4.41 runs (4.64 at home).
Defensively, it is again the Astros with the edge. They rank fourth in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 3.97 runs per game this season. The Angels rank 23rd, allowing 4.98 runs per game.
Astros Look To Keep Rolling
At 90-61, the Astros have been rolling as of late and now hold an eight-game lead in the AL West. Additionally, they sit just 2.5 games back of the Rays for the top spot in the AL with less than two weeks left of the ball.
Leading the way for the Astros’ potent lineup is designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. He leads the team in home runs (31) and runs batted in (98) while hitting .279/.351/.533.
The Astros currently have four players with more than 20 home runs. In addition to Alvarez, Jose Altuve (29), Kyle Tucker (27), and Carlos Correa (24) have eclipsed the 20 home run mark.
Ohtani Trying To Solidify MVP
While the Angels may be out of any postseason races, there is still excitement around the team as Shohei Ohtani fights for the AL MVP. He is currently the favorite to win the award at -3500.
On the season, Ohtani is hitting .257/.358/.593 with a team-leading 45 home runs, 95 runs batted in, 95 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases.
Another name to watch on Wednesday is Jared Walsh. In his career against Luis Garcia, he is six for nine with two home runs and six runs batted in.
Take The Astros To Win And Cover The Runline
In the first two games of this series, the Astros have outscored the Angels 20-5. At this point, these two teams are simply playing on different levels.
Not only has the Astros’ offense been clicking, but Luis Garcia continues to impress in his rookie season. In his last seven games, Garcia is 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA.
Expect the Astros to win this one, and don’t hesitate to take them to cover the runline as well.
