Angels vs Astros Betting Odds: Valdez, Houston Favored Against Ohtani’s Angels
Former American League Most Valuable Players Ohtani and Trout Delivering for Angels
Can Talented Lefty Reid Detmers Pick Up First Win of 2023 Season?
The Angels head into a four-game series with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros coming off a game with three combined home runs from former American League Most Valuable Players Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout as they moved over .500 on the road. The Astros just dropped a series to the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. Still, Houston is favored according to the Angels vs Astros betting odds.
A mediocre 15-13 home record has played a role in the Astros being three games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West standings
The Astros went 17-10 in May and still lost a game in the standings to the Rangers. The Angels were 15-13 over the last month with a 4.59 team ERA playing a role in the inability to string wins together.
The Angels will go with lefty Reid Detmers in the series opener. The former first-round pick allowed 10 hits in five innings in his last outing. He surrendered seven hits and four runs in 4.1 innings the last time he faced the Astros.
Left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start for Houston. He has allowed eight hits and one run with 12 strikeouts in 15 innings in his last two starts.
When looking at the MLB odds, the Astros (+600) are tied with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers for the best odds to win the World Series. Six American League teams are ahead of the Angels (+3500) in the championship odds.
Angels vs Astros
Day/Time:
Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
Streaming: FS1
Lending a Helping Hand
It has been proven in recent years that having two of the best players in baseball is not enough to get the Los Angeles Angels into the postseason.
There is still some work to do to change that in 2023 as the Angels are currently out of playoff position.
Ohtani and Trout had combined for four home runs and nine RBIs over the last six games with the Angels going 2-4. That is one of the reasons that visiting Los Angeles is listed as the underdog according to the Angels vs Astros betting odds.
An issue is a lack of support. Third baseman Gio Urshela has done his part with four extra-base hits during that stretch. However, Zach Neto is batting .053, Hunter Renfroe has a .158 batting average and Mickey Moniak has a .167 batting average.
This is not a new phenomenon as he had the best batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage when hitting second in the order last season.
The total has gone over in four of the last five games played by the Angels.
Pena Moving on Up
Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena has recently moved into the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the Astros and based on the results, he could be staying there. With his recent hot streak, it is no wonder that the Angels vs Astros betting odds favor the Astros.
Pena is hitting .351 with a slugging percentage of .838 when batting second. His 13 hits include two doubles and three home runs.
Pena is batting .229 when hitting either first, sixth, or seventh in the order.
Four of the Astros’ last five games went over the total.
Who’s Hot
- Alex Bregman, Houston Astros 3B: Bregman is batting .440 with four runs scored and six RBIs over his last six games.
- Chris Devenski, Los Angeles Angels P: Devenski hasn’t allowed a hit in his last five outings. He has six strikeouts and no walks in 5.1 innings in those appearances.
- Phil Maton, Houston Astros P: Maton hasn’t allowed a run in his last 10 outings. He has allowed seven hits and struck out 13 in 10.1 innings during that span.
- Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels OF: Ward had four hits, including two home runs, three runs, and three RBIs in his last two games.
Who’s Not
- Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros P: Abreu has given up three hits and four runs in 1.2 innings in his last two appearances.
- Jose Abreu, Houston Astros 1B: Abreu is 2-for-19 with four strikeouts in his last six games. One of those hits was his first home run of the season.
- Tucker Davidson, Los Angeles Angels P: Davidson has allowed 11 hits and seven runs in 5.1 innings over his last three outings.
- Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels SS: Neto is 1-for-19 with six strikeouts in his last six games.
Angels vs Astros Injury Update
Angels third baseman Brandon Drury is questionable and fellow third baseman Anthony Rendon is on the injured list. Relief pitcher Jose Suarez is expected back later this month.
The Astros continue to be without outfielder-designated hitter Michael Brantley.
Angels vs Astros Betting Preview
Detmers is winless in nine starts this season. When looking at the MLB schedule, facing the defending champs at home might not be the time to expect him to pick up win No. 1.
The Astros have won 11 of the last 15 games against the Angels. They are 5-1 in the last six home games against Los Angeles.
Just three of the last nine games between the teams played in Houston finished under the total. The total is currently at 8.5 for this matchup.
The Astros are 22-17 when listed as the favorite. The Angels are 13-11 as the underdog. For the Angels, they have covered 17 of the first 29 road games.
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