In all the Shohei Ohtani mania, Mike Trout has somehow become a second thought on this team. He’s had a slow start by his standards, but still leads the surprising Los Angeles Angels in home runs and RBIs. The Halos will try and continue their excellent start over the weekend as they take on the Kansas City Royals. In Saturday’s game, they look to Garrett Richards on the mound against Jakob Junis.
First pitch for the game between the Angels and Royals is scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2018, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. The matchup will be shown on FS1.
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Odds Analysis
The Angels are first in the AL West and while that has come in part due to seven games against the A’s already, Los Angeles is still taking care of business.
The Royals shouldn’t be perceived as a hard test for the Angels, falling in much the same bracket as Oakland, but Los Angeles did struggle against the Royals last season, dropping all but one of seven contests against Kansas City, managing just 18 runs in seven innings.
Defensively, the Angels have the edge over the Royals as Los Angeles made major strides to improve the defense over the offseason. The Angels’ bullpen is also likely better.
Los Angeles doesn’t have a clear cut closer, but Keynan Middleton, Blake Wood and Jose Alvarez have been nearly unhittable so far.
Kasnas City’s pen isn’t what it once was. Kelvin Herrera looks better than 2017, but Justin Grim, Brandon Maurer and company aren’t much of a bridge to him.
Probable Pitchers
It’s hard to find positives to the Royals’ season start, but Jakob Junis is one exception.
The 25-year old right-hander is 2-0 in his two starts with only four hits—and no runs—allowed over 14 innings of work. He’s struck out nine in his starts and walked three.
That’s come on the heels of a good, though not great, rookie campaign where he pitched to a 4.30 ERA in 98.1 innings over 20 appearances, mostly starts. He was 9-3 for KC which was excellent, but his ERA and WHIP were far more middle of the road.
He faced the Angels once last year, lasting 5.1 innings while giving up five runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs.
On the other side, Garrett Richards is a former ace whose career has been sidetracked by injuries. He made just 12 starts combined in 2016 and 2017 after two strong campaigns.
Now 30, Richards at least looks healthy. He’s already made three starts and while his 4.20 ERA is respectable, the overall results have been far less impressive.
The right-hander has walked 12 batters and allowed three home runs in 15 innings. He has struck out 19, but he has been trying to be too fine with his pitches and, as a result, has had trouble missing the plate.
In total, his command is off. He’s been rather lucky thus far, but eventually that’ll get to him.
Live Betting
The Angels have scored more runs than any other team so far in 2018. The team is a far cry from the days of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Kole Calhoun and little else.
Through 13 games, the Angels have hit 20 home runs, scored 86 runs and hit .284 as a team. It’s unlikely Ohtani will be given the start at DH in this game given he’s starting this weekend, but as good as he’s been, he’s not the only one hitting for Los Angeles.
Trout’s batting only .235, but he’s still hit four homers and has a 153 OPS+. He’s one of seven with at least 24 plate appearances and an OPS+ of at least 121.
The Angels have a deep roster of bats and solid gloves to go along with them.
While the Los Angeles offense has never been this deep, the Royals’ have never been this, well, shallow; at least not recently.
Mike Moustakas is the only Royals’ batter with an OPS+ north of 93.
MLB Pick
Junis has thrown exceptionally well early and is one of few bright spots for the Royals on the young season, but his luck is bound to run out.
The Angels are a good offensive club with the best player in the game. Look for Los Angeles to at least get to Junis for a few runs and knock him out of the game. Still, he should go deep enough and the Royals bullpen is still okay.
One the other side, the Royals’ bats are desperately missing Eric Hosmer and the team looks more like the pre-2014 version than the one that went to back-to-back World Series.
Still, Richards’ early results are concerning and Junis has managed to shutdown offenses completely through his first couple starts. Look for the Angels to actually score off Junis, but unless, Richards improves his command, the Royals can sneak in a win in this game.
MLB Odds: Royals 6, Angels 3
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