It’s been a tough schedule to open the season for the Angels after facing the oddsmakers’ favorite in the Cubs to open the year. The follow up comes against another playoff team from last year in the Rangers in a four game series with game three set for Saturday night.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
After a narrow 3-2 win over the Mariners, the Rangers ended up losing 10-2 in Game 2 with the bullpen blowing up following a strong performance from Martin Perez.
The bullpen’s struggles are concerning considering Tom Wilhelmsen allowed five runs without recording an out and he was brought in to solidify a pen that was considered to be a strength. Of course, it was just one game.
The Rangers are still better than Los Angeles with a -$8 moneyline after two games while the Angels are at -$200, in line with an Oakland team projected to pull up the rear of this AL West division.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
We’ve got a good pitching matchup lined up for this game with Cole Hamels slated to start for Texas against Garrett Richards of the Angels.
Hamels tossed seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out eight in the Rangers opener on Monday against the Mariners.
Since the southpaw’s trade to Texas last summer, he’s now 8-1 with a 3.57 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 13 regular season starts, spanning 90 2/3 innings. He was even better in two postseason starts last October.
Richards is the ace for the Angels though he didn’t pitch like one on Opening Day, lasting five innings and allowing three runs and nine base runners. He did strikeout seven so he had good stuff, but location was off.
Richards has had good success against the Rangers in his career. He’s 9-2 against them in 18 games, including 14 starts, posting a 3.20 ERA and 1.257 WHIP. He’s given up just three long balls while striking out 67 in 84 1/3 innings.
Hamels doesn’t have that much of a track record against the Angels, having spent most of his career in the National League, but he does have some experience against a handful of Angels' batters. Yunel Escobar has the most at bats against him with 29, but has a .172 average though he does have six walks. Albert Pujols, meanwhile has three homers against the Texas ace, but just five total hits in 27-at bats.
LIVE BETTING
The Angels have just one run scored in their first two games of the season as the offensive woes from a season ago continue here in the early going.
Los Angeles has a number of depth questions centered around Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and, to a lesser extent, Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron.
That foursome went 0-for-15 in Game 2 and the Cubbies shut them down. It’s no wonder the offense fell flat. Right now, the team has its leftfield platoon hitting ahead of Trout in the order and they pinch hit for that spot twice on Tuesday. That’s not a good sign for the guy setting the table for the best player in the league.
Comparatively, the Rangers scored five runs in their first two games as the trends from last season continue to hold true.
If the Angels are to score, that’s got to come from the heart of the order, namely Trout and Pujols. Even with two likely future Hall of Famers, the team was just No. 12 in the American League last year in scoring with 661 runs a full 90 fewer than the Rangers who ranked third in all of baseball.
QUICK PICK
It’s hard to gauge much on two games, but what we’ve seen so far from the Angels is a continuation of an issue that plagued them a season ago.
Look for the heart of the order to do better on Saturday, but still—without much support—don’t look for a huge offensive outburst against a quality arm like Hamels.
Instead, look for him to give the Ranges six strong innings and turn it over to a very good bullpen unlikely to implode again.
On the other side of the field, Richards’ first game didn’t inspire confidence and the Rangers’ offense is much deeper than the Angels’.
MLB Odds: Rangers 6, Angels 3
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Texas Rangers versus the Los Angeles Angels will commence Saturday, April 9, 2016, at 9:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
