Angels vs Reds Preview: Lefties On Tap For Friday
Cincinnati Seeking to End Losing Streak
The Los Angeles Angels visit the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series beginning Friday. The Reds are being coy with their pitching rotation, not officially naming any of its starters. The Angels have named their pitchers for the series. Even though it’s early in the season, neither team can afford to be swept. The Angels are 1.5 games back in the AL West, while the Reds are 2.5 games out in the NL Central. The Angels vs Reds preview will look at each of the three games in the series. The Reds are -125/Angels + 105 with a total of 9.5-over (-120) in Friday’s opening game.
Angels vs Reds 
Location: Great American Ball Park
Day/Time:
Friday’s Game
Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Angels, while he should be opposed by Nick Lodolo in a meeting of left-handed pitchers. Anderson has been pretty solid for the Angels so far this season. He’s allowed three runs in 18 1/3 innings and Los Angeles is 2-1 when he starts. His loss did come last start against Boston, as he allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings. Anderson walked three and allowed two home runs, so he didn’t have his best stuff.
Lodolo was brilliant in his MLB return, allowing one hit in 5 2/3 innings and fanning 10. The problem with Lodolo is inconsistency. He can look unhittable one game and pretty bad the next. Lodolo is still young, so if he puts it all together he’ll be tough.
The MLB rumors have the Angels looking for another relief pitcher after announcing Robert Stephenson was going to miss the year. He was the team’s big off-season move and expected to be their primary set-up man.
The Angels vs Reds preview notes LA is 2-0 against left-handed starters this season but were just 16-25 last year. The Reds are 3-4 this season against lefties and were 23-25 last season. If you’re looking for value in this game, there isn’t a whole lot. It’s a bit easier to make a case for the Angels plus money than laying the odds with the Reds.
Saturday’s Game
The Angels will send another left-hander, Patrick Sandoval, to the mound. The Reds should counter with Graham Ashcraft. Sandoval has been pretty average this season and the Angels are 2-2 in his starts. He’s had a couple of rough outings and a couple of decent starts. Los Angeles is allowing 5.5 runs when he starts.
The Angels are averaging 4.29 runs per game against right-handed starters this season. They’ve scored four runs or less in nine of those 17 games against right-handers.
The Reds are 2-1 with Ashcraft on the mound. His two road starts have been pretty solid, but he was roughed-up a little bit when he pitched at home.
The Reds are likely to be small favorites here, with Ashcraft coming off a solid outing. It’s not the best game on Saturday’s Major League Baseball schedule, but the Angels are probably the side offering any value.
Sunday’s Game
The Angels vs Reds preview is showing Jose Soriana and Frankie Montas as the starters in this one. Only Soriana has been announced by the team. The Major League Baseball scoreboard shows Soriana pitched well last start against Tampa Bay, but the bullpen let him down. He left with a 3-1 lead after five innings, but the Rays tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Tampa Bay won in 13 innings. That was a better effort than his first start of the year against Tampa Bay, when the Rays scored four runs in four innings.
Montas started the season strong but has been roughed up a little bit in his last two outings. The Reds are 2-2 when he starts this season, going 1-1 both home and away.
After scoring just five runs in their first three games against right-handed starters, the Reds have scored at least four runs in their next eight. The Reds are averaging 5.73 runs per game against a right-handed starter and are 6-5. That’s not bad considering how poorly they started.
The Reds will likely be small favorites once again, but this is a tough call. Both starters are capable of solid outings but also have some poor starts. It’s hard to go against the Reds with how they’ve been swinging the bats against RHP lately. If the price is reasonable, Cincinnati deserves a look in this one.
Angels vs Reds H2H
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