Just when the Angels looked like they would be an afterthought in the AL West, Albert Pujols got hot and started carrying the club. The Halos look to continue their climb to the top of the standings when they begin another series with division front-runner Texas.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
Despite a rash of injuries that have decimated their pitching staff, the Angels, somehow, made a charge and are within striking distance of first place in the AL West. A stretch where the Halos won just one in nine games set them back eight games below .500, but they responded with a little run when their offense came alive.
The teams met in Arlington three weeks ago with the Rangers taking two of three. Texas returns home after road trip to Oakland and Houston and has won four of the seven previous meetings with the Angels going up 1.47 units on the moneyline in those games. The under is 4-2-1 in the earlier meetings.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Nick Tropeano (2-2, 3.30 ERA) won for the first time since Apr. 11 when he allowed just one run over seven innings in Wednesday’s 8-1 rout of the Dodgers. He gave up seven hits and walked two while striking out four. It was a quality start and the first time Tropeano pitched past the sixth inning tossing an efficient 96 pitches.
Outside of a start which he allowed five runs to the Brewers on May 3, Tropeano has been a nice fill in for the injured Andrew Heaney. Tropeano is 0-2 with a 5.68 in his previous two starts against the Rangers.
Cole Hamels (4-0, 3.10 ERA) has struggled in a pair of starts since tossing seven shutout innings at Detroit on May 3. He’s surrendered six earned on 18 hits in 12.1 innings in two no-decisions. Hamels couldn’t keep the ball in the yard in Tuesday’s 8-5 loss to the A’s, yielding three solo homers and four total runs in 6.2 innings. He’s given up five home runs in his past two starts.
Hamels had not given up more than seven hits in a game through his first six starts, but has allowed nine in each of his last two. He’s had mixed results in two starts against the Halos this season. He gave up a run on four hits in six innings getting a 4-1 win in Anaheim on Apr. 9, and was touched for seven hits and four runs in five innings taking a no-decision in a 9-6 Angels road win on May 1.
LIVE BETTING
It’s hard to talk about the Angels and not mention Mike Trout. We all know what he can do in the field and at bat. But one player responsible for the team’s recent offensive success is Albert Pujols. Hitting below the Mendoza Line for much of the year, Pujols has caught fire lately and the Angels are enjoying the renaissance.
On Wednesday, Pujols stroked career hit No. 2,700 with an RBI single in the sixth inning. He is now one of nine players with 2,700 career hits and 550 career home runs. Pujols went 2 for 3 with two walks and an RBI in that game, continuing his recent hot streak. Since the beginning of 2014 he had reached base safely four times in a game just twice. He’s now done it twice in a span of four games. During his hot streak, Pujols hit safely in seven of eight games batting .364 in that span to raise his season average to .224.
QUICK PICK
Hamels has been hit hard in his last two outings and the Angels, with the help of Pujols, Trout, Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron, are breaking out of a season-long hitting slump. The Halos pounded the Rangers starter in their last visit to Arlington and are still trying to make up for a slide that put them behind the leaders of the AL West. And they’re doing it with a makeshift lineup and rotation. The Angels have been devastated by injuries, but they keep plugging away and started to make some noise in the division. There is still work to be done, but the Halos are playing good baseball at a time when they need to do just that.
MLB Odds: Los Angeles 6, Texas 4
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