The Texas Rangers will square off against their divisional rival Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The matchup will begin at 4:07 p.m. ET and fans looking to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Southwest.
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels Odds
Texas (+170) is entering this game as the underdog against Los Angeles (-180) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-105 for the under and -115 for the over). The games current runline odds stand at -130 for taking the Rangers +1.5 runs and +110 for the Angels -1.5 runs.
The Rangers have gone only 25-36 SU this year and are 25-35 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.1 units for moneyline bettors and 15.8 units ATS. Texas is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Angels, on the other hand, are 31-28 SU and 28-30 ATS. They’ve lost 1.1 units for moneyline bettors and 3.2 units ATS. Los Angeles has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Angels games have a 26-29-3 over/under record so far in 2018. Texas has an over/under record of 28-27-5.
The right-handed Doug Fister is the probable starter for Texas. Fister is 1-5 with a 4.09 ERA and 37 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA against Los Angeles this year.
The Angels will send lefty Tyler Skaggs (3-4, 3.60 ERA) to the mound. Skaggs has 64 punchouts and 19 walks to his name, as well as a 1.28 WHIP. Skaggs is 1-0 with seven strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA over one starts against Texas this year.
Los Angeles pitching staff has given up 4.1 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The teams starting pitching staff has a 3.68 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.74 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 21 games against divisional opponents, Angels starters have an ERA of 2.73 and the bullpens ERA is 3.70.
Los Angeles hitters have put up 4.6 runs per outing, including 5.5 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .263/.314/.474 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and outfielder Mike Trout have led the Angels hitters this year. Simmons is slashing .336/.405/.469 with four home runs, 33 RBIs, 32 runs and five stolen bases, and Trout’s line is .313/.448/.688 with 19 homers, 37 RBIs, 49 runs and 13 stolen bases.
In the visiting dugout, Texas pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.40 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.22 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.76, along with a K-per-9 of 8.16.
The Rangers offense has slashed .229/.308/.389 on its way to 4.2 runs scored per game this season, including 3.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the teams last five contests (3-2 SU).
Texas hitters have been powered by Nomar Mazara and Shin-soo Choo. Mazara is slashing .274/.347/.504 with 13 home runs, 38 RBIs and 34 runs scored, while Choo is hitting .262/.363/.431 with nine homers, 24 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
The Rangers have lost 1.4 units and are 8-11 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in 10 of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Angels have netted 4.7 units and are 24-21 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs hit in 20 of those games, compared to 22 that’ve gone under.
Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Angels, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- Los Angeles has posted 21.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 22.4 over its last five.
- The Rangers have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Angels have hit 16 over their last 10.
