The Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers will play the middle game of their three-game series Wednesday at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Angels won the first game of the series. The win for the Angels pushed them to 52-49 on the season. That’s third place in the American League West, trailing both the Rangers and Astros. The Angels were 5.5 games behind the last wildcard game coming into Tuesday’s game. For the Tigers, the loss dropped them to 46-55 on the season. The Tigers are in third place in the American League Central.
This game on Wednesday is a complete toss up. Both the Tigers and the Angels come into the game listed at -110. The total for this game is listed at 8.5 runs.
Pitching Matchup for Wednesday
Patrick Sandoval will get the start for the Los Angeles Angels. The 26-year-old lefthander is 5-7 on the season, with a 4.16 earned run average. Sandoval needs just seven innings to get to 100 on the season. He has 77 strikeouts and 37 walks. His last start was one of his best, as he went 7.1 innings and allowed just a single run on two hits.
Michael Lorenzen gets the nod for the Detroit Tigers. Lorenzen was an all-star this season and for good reason. The 31-year-old from Anaheim is 5-6, with a 3.49. Lorenzen has thrown in three straight games now without giving up a run. His most recent was seven innings at Kansas City, where he allowed just three hits. In fact, over his last 18.2 innings, he’s allowed just 8 hits and 0 runs.
Ohtani the American League MVP
Shohei Ohtani is the talk of Major League Baseball. The slugger, who also pitches leads the team, and American League in mostly everything. Ohtani is a massive favorite to win the MVP award. Ohtani it hitting .299 batting average with 36 home runs and 77 runs batted in. In the win on Tuesday, Ohtani was walked twice and scored two runs.
The Angels continue to play without Mike Trout. Trout hurt his left hamate bone earlier this month, but the team expects him to come back in August. The offense for the Angels are hitting .255 on the season, which is just outside the Top 10 in Major League Baseball. The Angels also rank 7th in Major League Baseball.
Tigers Seeking Offense
The Detroit Tigers, despite their recent back-to-back wins, have not been hitting the baseball well at all. The Tigers went 6 straight games scoring 4 runs or less before the 6 runs outburst on Tuesday. The offense for the Tigers has dropped to 27th in runs scored and 27th in team batting average.
The top threats for Detroit in the lineup has been Zach McKinstry and Spencer Torkelson. McKinstry leads the team with a .241 batting average, while Torkelson has 15 bombs and drove in 56 runs.
Angels Win Again
The Shohei Ohtani week is here. Will the Angels trade him with the deadline next week? The Angels though, also feel like maybe they could make a run at the postseason. It will be tough with numerous good teams out of the American League. The Tigers are just playing spoiler. Until they reach .500, they cannot be considered a threat in the division. Look for the Angels to play more inspired, and win this game on the road. Ohtani shines on offense, as the Angels score a ton of runs. Angels and the over here! The bet here is the Los Angeles Angels -110 over the Detroit Tigers.
