Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros Series Preview
Houston Is On Fire; What Were You Expecting?
While it was easy to pile on the Houston Astros when they started the season with a miserable 12-24 record, it’s not as easy now that they’ve won nine of their last 11 games and are firmly back in the mix for American League West contention.
It was inevitable that a team as talented as Houston would figure things out eventually. Joe Espada’s club will try to keep the good times rolling against the Los Angeles Angels this week. Based on the Vegas odds, the Angels vs Astros predictions expect Houston to win Monday’s opener easily as -200 moneyline favorites and at +105 on the runline.
The Astros just took two of three from a good Milwaukee Brewers team and continues to make up ground in a division where no team has been able to separate itself from the pack. Houston has been able to close to within four games of the division-leading Seattle Mariners despite having three-fifths of its rotation on the injured list and being toward the bottom in starter ERA, WHIP and BB/9. The strength of the Houston Astros roster is the lineup and that is what’s carrying them right now.
It has been a very trying season for the Angels under new manager Ron Washington. Mike Trout is hurt, Anthony Rendon is hurt, Brandon Drury is hurt and Los Angeles has one of the worst bullpens in baseball. But, they’ve won three of four and just beat the Rangers in a series down in Arlington so things may be looking up. Still, though, the Los Angeles lineup is rough and doesn’t exactly strike fear in opponents’ minds.
Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros 
Date & Time: Monday, May 20th, 8:10 p.m. ET
Location: Minute Maid Park; Houston, Texas
Astros’ Starters Are Getting Healthy
A major reason why Houston was so bad to start the year was because the starting pitchers — the backbone of this team — were getting injured left and right. Now, they’re slowly becoming whole as a rotation and two guys who the Astros rely on, Framber Valdez and Christian Javier, will pitch this week. Both of them have ERAs right around 3.00 and have impressive track records of success. If you’re making Angels vs Astros predictions, expect Houston to get good starts on Monday and Tuesday.
Hunter Brown will start on Wednesday and while his season-long numbers are ugly — a 7.71 ERA with a 12.3 H/9 and 5.1 BB/9 is brutal — he has been a little better as of late. He did allow four runs in five innings against the Brewers in his last outing but he has been striking out more batters and doing a better job of limiting hard contact. There is a chance the Angels, who have surprisingly managed to be a middle-of-the-pack offense so far, could hit him hard but Brown is trending in the right direction.
There’s a reason the MLB betting lines like the Astros so much on Monday and in this series, however, and that’s because of Valdez and Javier. They generally give Houston a solid start each time they’re on the mound and considering that the Angels allow a ton of runs, the Astros only need those guys to keep them in games so- Houston’s offense — with the best average in baseball and top-five OBP and OPS — can take things from there.
Angels’ Makeshift Lineup is Due to Fade
While being 11 games under .500 is certainly not a feat worth celebrating, the Angels have done a good job of treading water with Trout and other key position players on the IL. Taylor Ward, Jo Adell and even recent pickup Kevin Pillar have all produced as Los Angeles has tried to replace some of its lost offensive firepower. It has been tough to overcome the struggles of rotation arms like Reid Detmers and Griffin Canning, both of whom will pitch against Houston. Still, the Angels vs Astros predictions expect the Angels to have trouble scoring in this series.
It just seems like the Los Angeles lineup is hitting above it weight, no pun intended. The Angels’ group is a collection of young players, some core pieces (like Ward and Logan O’Hoppe) and journeymen who were traded or cut by their previous teams (like Pillar, Luis Guillorme and Cole Tucker). The fact that some of those guys are hitting as well as they are makes for a great story, but it doesn’t mean the Angels will be able to compete for the wildcard MLB standings for long. It just doesn’t seem sustainable.
Houston Is A Smart Bet
No wonder the Astros are -200 moneyline favorites for Monday’s game between Valdez and Detmers and are +105 at 1.5 runs. Houston has way more talent than Los Angeles, has a lineup clicking on all cylinders and gets to throw two of its better pitchers this week. Not a good recipe for the Angels even with their strong weekend in Texas.
Also, the 8.5 run total looks low based on how the Astros have been winning games in recent weeks. Consider taking the over.
