Rays vs Angeles Preview: Tampa Bay Favored in Opener
Angels Look to Bounce Back After Blowout Loss
The Tampa Bay Rays continue their trip through the West when they visit the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series beginning Monday. The Rays won two of three at Colorado, while the Angeles lost two out of three at home against Boston. Tampa Bay is 5-5 on the season, while Sunday’s loss saw the Angeles fall to 5-4.
Both teams have shown some inconsistency. The MLB game scores show Tampa Bay has lost three games by at least six runs. The Angels have three losses by eight or more runs. The Rays vs Angels preview shows Tampa Bay is favored -146 in the opener, with Zach Eflin on the mound against Tyler Anderson. The total is 8.5.
Rays vs Angels 
Day/Time:
Location: Angel Stadium
Monday’s Game
The Rays are 1-1 in Eflin’s two starts this season. He was roughed up by Toronto in his first start of the year but rebounded with a solid effort against Texas. He has allowed three runs in 19 innings against the Angels in three starts over the last two years. Tampa Bay was 23-9 when he started last season.
Los Angeles was 12-13 with Anderson on the mound last year but won his lone start of the season. He pitched seven scoreless innings against Miami in a 3-1 win. Anderson faced Tampa Bay once last year and was hit hard, allowing five runs in four innings.
Tampa Bay was 24-12 last season against left-handed starters and is 2-1 this season. The Rays have scored at least five runs in all three MLB games against southpaws this season.
It’s hard to find fault with anybody who likes Tampa Bay as one of their best MLB bets today. The price is a little steep, but there’s a little bit of value on the Rays.
Tuesday’s Game
The Rays vs Angels preview shows Aaron Civale and Patrick Sandoval as the scheduled starters for Game No. 2. Tampa Bay will favored in this game also. Civale has pitched well, allowing one run in six innings in both starts. The Rays are 1-1 in those two games and were 6-4 in the games he started for them last season.
Sandoval is another left-handed pitcher, and Los Angeles has split his first two starts. He wasn’t bad last game out against Miami, although that can be said for most pitchers who have thrown against the Marlins this season. The Angels were just 8-20 in the games Sandoval started last MLB season. Los Angeles was 0-2 against the Rays last season when Sandoval started.
The big question in this game is going to be how high the line is. Civale is worth a look at anything less than -175. After that, it becomes a question of not offering decent value.
Wednesday’s Game
The Rays vs Angeles preview shows Zack Littell and Griffin Canning as the scheduled starters for the series finale. Littell has pitched well in both starts, but the Rays bullpen let him down last time on the mound against Colorado. The Rays were just 6-8 when he started last season and are 1-1 so far this season.
Canning has not had a very good start to the season, with the Angels going 0-2 in his two outings. He has allowed nine runs and four home runs in 9 2/3 innings. He wasn’t bad last season, so he should get things turned around a little bit.
This game is where Tampa Bay is likely to miss Josh Lowe a little more than the first two games. The MLB news shows Lowe is likely to be out another two weeks even though he’s on the 10-day disabled list. Lowe hit .300 against right-handers and .238 against left-handed pitchers last season. Most of his power also came hitting left-handed, where he hit 18 of his 20 home runs.
This game is a question of how much emphasis a handicappers is going to put on last year’s stats. This year’s stats leave no question that the Littell is the right side, but looking at last season has the game looking much more even.
If Tampa Bay takes the first two games of the series, Canning could be a decent price play at +125 or better. If the MLB teams split the first two games, it’s probably a game to stay away from unless Tampa Bay goes off at low MLB odds.
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