It’s been a rough start to the season for both the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers who each currently sit three games off the pace set by the A’s and Astros atop the AL West standings. The Halos just lost Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher for the rest of the season, while big free-agent acquisition Corey Kluber got one inning under his belt before it was announced he’s out for the foreseeable future due to a shoulder injury. Both squads have also failed to get their respective offenses going, so being without two of their most electric arms makes the poor start to the season that much more disappointing. Looking to turn it around for their respective clubs will be Griffin Canning and Jordan Lyles in the opener of this three-game set; look for linemakers at online sportsbooks to have the Rangers installed home underdogs for the first time this season with the total clocking in at 9-10 runs.
First pitch for the game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers is scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2020, at 9:05 p.m. ET from Globe Life Field. The matchup will be shown live on FS1. You can bet on MLB Odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Odds Analysis
If you’ve been one of the unfortunate souls that’s backed both of these teams religiously at the start of the season, your bankroll is hurting because of it. Anaheim has managed just four wins through its first 11 played games which has been good for a -$300 return on investment, while the Rangers have gone 3-6 and cost those that wagered on them $223 in the process. The Angels just moved to 2-3 on the road after taking the series opener in Seattle on Tuesday night, while Texas opened up its brand new ball park by dropping three of five games to the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Backed by one of the worst bullpens in the game, Los Angeles has cashed over tickets on seven of 11 occasions while Texas has seen the under come in at a 5-4 clip.
Probable Pitchers
Griffin Canning: Though the righty is yet to earn a decision through a pair of 2020 starts, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from the youngster through his first two turns. Last time out, he hurled six innings of 1 ER ball at the Houston Astros and would’ve come away with the win had Hansel Robles not blown the save by allowing three runs in the ninth inning. Canning has allowed 10 hits (1 HR) and 4 ER through 10.2 combined innings thus far, and racked up a solid 12:4 K/BB ratio along the way. The Rangers tagged him for 6 ER through just 3.1 innings in his lone Arlington start a season ago, so he’ll likely be extra motivated to snag his first win of the season in his second.
Jordan Lyles: The righty owns a career 5.11 ERA and .275 BAA through just over 915 career innings pitched at the Major League level. It just goes to show how desperate Texas is for starting pitching right now with Kluber on the shelf for likely the remainder of the regular season. He failed to impress in his first start since being thrown into the rotation after issuing five walks while striking out one through just four innings versus the San Francisco Giants. He had major issues with the curve as only eight of 21 thrown went for strikes; San Fran didn’t swing and miss on any of them! Lifetime against the Angels, Lyles checks in 2-1 but with a bloated 5.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 17 total innings.
Bullpen Woes
The Texas bullpen is allowing opponents to bat .256 against it to date. Only five other teams have allowed higher batting averages. One of those teams just so happens to be the Angels whose .279 batting average against is the absolute worst mark in the big leagues. On top of that, both units can’t help themselves but to make life easier on the opposing offenses by issuing walks - lots of them! The Halos’ pen has issued 28 free passes through 54.1 total innings, while the Rangers have allowed 22 walks through only 35.1 innings. If Lyles is unable to go deep in this game which is highly likely, online sportsbooks might not be able to post a live betting total high enough that doesn’t take action on the over!
MLB Pick
Even though Texas played to low scorers in four of its first five home games, I’ve got a feeling the scoreboard operators get a workout throughout this series; especially on Friday night! Lyles is nothing short of a batting practice arm right now, and the Angels offense is bound to go off sooner rather than later with Mike Trout back from paternity leave and Shohei Ohtani settled in as the everyday designated hitter moving forward. Anthony Rendon is going to find his bearings sooner or later, and I’ll bet that occurs over the course of this series. This has whitewashing written all over it! Look for Canning to toss a gem and get ample run support en route to logging his first win of the season. Back the Halos on the moneyline, run-line and alternative run-line but also make sure to bring it all together by hitting the over for the first five innings as well as the full game.
MLB Odds: Angels 12, Rangers 3
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