The Los Angeles Angels have the best player in the game on their side and they still sit below .500 as we enter the month of May. They aren’t very good, but Mike Trout could do just enough to keep them in contention in a mediocre American League. The Halos are playing their best ball of the season having won four in a row entering their two-game weekend set with the Houston Astros in Monterrey, Mexico.
And it looks like the Astros have played down to the competition in the AL. The favorite to win the 2019 World Series, Houston climbed over Seattle to the top of the AL West, but they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Astros give the ball to ace Justin Verlander on Sunday to wrap up the set.
This MLB game between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will be held at Estadio de Beisbol in Monterrey, Mexico, at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 5, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The teams have played their division counterparts several times already this season, but this will be the first series of the year between the two. And the Angels find themselves right in the middle of the race after sweeping the Blue Jays to win four straight and six of their past seven.
One thing that can help the Angels’ chances of competing in the AL West is having more success against Houston. The Halos dropped 12 of the last 15 meetings against the Astros last season with the pitching staff allowing 38 runs over a five-game losing streak to end the year. Matt Harvey wasn’t around last year and he looks to continue his recent string of strong outings.
Probable Pitchers
It’s turn back the clock night every time Justin Verlander (4-1, 2.45 ERA) takes the hill. Like a fine wine he just gets better with age and he’s been fabulous out of the gate in 2019 with six quality starts in seven outings. He was tagged with his first loss of the season last time out but deserved better after allowing a solo homer and two hits across six innings in a 1-0 loss to the Twins.
Verlander has given up just one earned run in each of his last four starts, dropping his ERA by nearly two runs since the Yankees got to him for three earned a month ago. He’s allowed just 27 hits over 44 innings for a 0.86 WHIP and opponents are hitting only .171. One bugaboo has been the long ball with one served up in each start for a team-high seven.
The overall numbers aren’t very impressive, but Matt Harvey (1-2, 6.54 ERA) has been much better over his last two starts, which is an encouraging sign for him and the Halos. He was money against the Royals in his last outing with two hits and one earned allowed over 7.0 innings for his first win of the year.
After not getting through the fifth inning in three previous starts, Harvey pitched 13 total over his last two giving up just five hits and three runs. He’s not the dominant strikeout pitcher from his early days and it appears as though he’s come to terms with that.
Player to Watch
Nobody can impact a game more than Trout, and once again he’s proving why many have him listed as the best player in the game. Returning from an injury that cost him a few games, Trout struggled initially. However, he got back on track to help sweep the Blue Jays. Trout had a pair of hits, including a homerun that was just his second in 17 games back in the lineup. He also recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time in a month.
Trout has just a .139 batting average in 36 career at-bats against Verlander, but two of his five hits have left the yard. And that’s something to watch for given the pitcher’s addiction to throwing home runs.
Free MLB ATS Picks
The Astros lead the division though they are just four games over the break-even point entering this abbreviated series. And if not for a 10-game winning streak earlier, they would be in the middle of the pack. But they do have their ace on the hill and the Stros are 5-2 in games Verlander has started. Offensively the Astros have yet to breakout, but they have strong bats and they make contact, which will allow them to get to Harvey in the early innings. Rain is in the forecast and this game could be impacted, but given Houston’s recent success against the Halos, I’m going with them.
MLB Pick: Houston Astros 5, Los Angeles Angels 2
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