Angels vs. Orioles Pick
Are the Los Angeles Angels and the host Baltimore Orioles going to go over or under the total Friday night at 7:05PM EST?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Orioles are favored at home with a -133 moneyline. The Angels are a +120 underdog, while the over-under is set at 10.5.
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Andrew Heaney gets the start tonight for the Angels, his first MLB appearance since Tommy John Surgery. Jeremy Hellickson (7-7, 4.70) starts for the O’s. Heaney last pitched in an MLB game in April of 2016. In his rookie year of 2015, he flashed a strong pitching repertoire as he finished the year with a 6-4 record and a 3.49 ERA over 18 starts, striking out 78 over 105 2/3 innings and owning a 1.20 WHIP. Hellickson has made three starts for Baltimore since being acquired in a trade with the Phillies, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.50 ERA. His strikeout rate has gone up for the Oilers, punching out 16 batters in 18 innings.
This is the opener of a three-game series. Los Angeles is 62-59 and 29-33 on the road, while Baltimore is 59-62 and 35-23 at home. The Angels won two of three earlier this month in Los Angeles, with all three games going under the total.
Los Angeles has been hot of late, winning seven of its last eight games. On Wednesday, the Angels defeated the Nationals 3-2 behind home runs from Luis Valbuena and Kole Calhoun. Ricky Nolasco threw 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball to earn the win. Baltimore lost its last two games at Seattle, the last being a 7-6 setback where Chris Davis struck out with the bases loaded Wednesday to end it. Tim Beckham led the way by going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs at the top of the order. Davis was 2-for-5 with a double, while Craig Gentry finished 2-for-3 with a triple plus a run scored and an RBI. Ubaldo Jimenez took the loss, surrendering six earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.
Heaney making his first start in 16 months is the first immediate red flag. He’s coming off major surgery and probably won’t be back to full effectiveness until 2018 at the earliest. He also isn’t likely to go very deep into the game, leaving it up to the Angels middle relief. Hellickson is a flyball pitcher in a ballpark made for home runs. Although the last three these two teams played went under, this is a different park and you can comfortably play the over.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ANGELS/ORIOLES OVER 10.5