Angels vs. Rangers Pick
Can the Texas Rangers salvage a series at home with the Los Angeles Angels when the two meet close out the weekend series today at 3:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Angels are a slight road favorite, as Los Angeles is getting odds of -130 to win. The Rangers are listed with a money line of +110 to prevail, while the over/under total has been set at 11.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup today has Andrew Heaney (1-0, 5.63 ERA) on the mound for the Angels to face Martin Perez (10-10, 4.89) of the Rangers. Heaney has pitched in just three games this season, allowing 10 runs over 16 innings. He has 19 strikeouts with three walks and a 1.25 WHIP. Perez has been good on the mound lately, allowing two runs or less in four of his last five starts. Perez has 94 strikeouts with 50 walks and a 1.54 WHIP this season.
These two have split the first two games of the series, with the Rangers earning a 10-9 win on Friday and the Angels coming back with a 7-4 victory on Saturday. Texas is now 67-68 overall and 36-30 at home while the Angels are 70-66 overall and 32-35 on the road.
Saturday’s game saw the Angels rally late to win in 10 innings. Los Angeles scored twice in the ninth to force extra innings and then posted three runs in the top of the 10th. Ricky Rodriguez blew the save in the ninth and then Jose Leclerc gave up the three runs in the 10th. C.J. Cron had a home run to tie things up in the ninth and then had a sac fly in the 10th. Albert Pujols drove in a pair of runs for the Angels as well. Texas was led by Carlos Gomez, who had a pair of hits, including a home run.
If it wasn’t for poor pitching from the bullpen, Texas would have a 2-0 edge in the series. I think the Rangers will correct last night’s mistake and go on to get another victory. Perez has been strong on the mound in recent outings and should be able to put Texas in position to win. I also expect the Rangers to beat up on Heaney, who hasn’t looked sharp in his three start.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TEXAS RANGERS +110