Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Preview
Thursday’s matchup between the Angels and Astros has a first pitch of 8:10 PM ET. This one is being played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has the Astros as the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -278. The Angels are +230 on the money line, and they will be looking to pull off the upset and extend their two-game winning streak.
Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Astros, while the Angels are sending José Suarez to the mound. Los Angeles comes in with a record of 62-90, which has them in 5th place in the AL West. The Astros are 1st in the division, with an overall record of 82-70.
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Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels Trends and Key Stats
- 1-4 is the record of Angels in their last five road games. They have also gone 1-4 vs. the runline.
- In the Astros’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 3-2 (SU) with 3-2 against the spread.
- Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Astros have a straight-up record of 6-4, while going 6-4 against the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Angels have won 2-8 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 2-8 against the runline.
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction
Los Angeles closed out their series vs. the White Sox with a 4-3 win. Going into the game, the Angels were the heavy favorite at -145. It got tense at the end, as the White Sox pulled to within one run in the 11th, but the Angels were able to close things out and pick up the win.
Jack Kochanowicz put together a good start for the Angels, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Los Angeles’s offense scored their four runs on seven hits and didn’t hit a home run.
Los Angeles is 62-90 overall, putting them 5th in the AL West, 20 games behind the Astros for the division lead. The Angels will take on the Astros today on the road while having an overall division record of 20-25. The Angels have won two straight games, and this came after dropping five in a row as the underdog.
At home, the Angels are just 32-46 this year, and they are only slightly better on the road at 30-44. So far, they have gone 8-16 as the favorite and 54-74 as the underdog. Los Angeles’ overall series record is 13-32-3, and they are coming off taking two of three from the White Sox.
The Angels have been a .500 team against the run line this season, going 76-76. They are 38-40 against the run line at home and 38-36 on the road. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games and are just 6-18 against the run line as the favorite. They have been a solid bet against the run line as the underdog, going 70-58.
Los Angeles is on the road today against the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is lower than their season average of 8.8 runs per game. The Angels have played 109 games this season with over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while they have played just 15 games with lower lines. Their over/under record for the season is 72-74, and they have hit the under in their last two games.
Left-hander José Suarez is starting for the Angels today as he faces the Astros on the road. So far this season, he has made 20 appearances and one start. Suarez’s record for the season is 1-2, and he has an ERA of 6.80. In his 42 1/3 innings of work, Suarez has a WHIP of 1.70. Looking back at his last outing, Suarez went four innings out of the bullpen, giving up five hits and no earned runs. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Opponents are batting .287 off Suarez this season.
Over the last nine games, Taylor Ward has gone 10/32 (.312) with two homers and five RBIs. For the season, he is batting .248 with a team-high 24 homers and 70 RBIs. Zach Neto is also batting .248 and has 21 homers, which is the 2nd most on the team. Neto has also driven in 71 runs, which is the best mark on the team.
As a team, the Angels are batting just .228, which is the 20th ranked offense in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in scoring, home runs, and on-base percentage. Overall, they are averaging 3.9 runs per game, which is 27th in the MLB.
Houston closed out their series vs. the Padres with a 4-0 loss on the road. Heading into the game, the Astros were the slight favorite at -107 on the money line. Things really got away from the Astros in the 8th inning, as the Padres scored three runs in the inning. Houston’s offense scored their only two runs in the 2nd.
Framber Valdez was excellent for the Astros, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out six. However, the Astros couldnjson’t close things out, and Valdez took the loss. Houston’s offense was also quiet after their 2nd inning outburst, and the Astros only had two hits the rest of the game.
Houston is 82-70 overall and leads the AL West by five games over the Mariners. The Astros lost two of three in their most recent series vs. the Padres. So far, they are 25-20 in divisional games.
At home, the Astros are 42-32 this season and have gone 40-38 on the road. Houston has won four straight games as the favorite, and they are 63-49 when favored this season. As for their record as the home favorite, they are 39-27 this year. Heading into today’s game, the Astros’ series record is 26-20-2, and they are starting a new series vs. the Angels.
When it comes to the run line, the Astros have been a solid bet this season, going 78-74 overall. They’ve been especially good on the road, where they’re 43-35 against the run line. Their average run margin for the season is +0.6 runs per game, and they’ve been favored in 112 games, going 52-60 against the run line in those contests.
The Houston Astros are at home against the Los Angeles Angels today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Astros games this season is 8.6 runs. Houston’s over/under record for the season is 61-86, and their average over/under line is set at 9 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, the Astros have a record of 13-13-2. This season, 59.9% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs. Their current under streak is at 3 games.
Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Angels. In that September 13th start, he went seven innings, giving up three earned runs and picking up the win. Looking back further, Kikuchi has won three straight starts and has given up three earned runs in each of those outings. For the season, he has a record of 9-9 and an ERA of 4.29. Opposing batters are hitting .245 off Kikuchi this year. The left-hander has made 30 starts, 10 of which were quality starts, and is averaging 10.39 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yordan Alvarez has been one of the Astros’ top power threats this season, as he comes into the game with a team-leading 34 homers, which is 8th best in the MLB. However, he has struggled of late, going just 4/27 in his last seven games. Alex Bregman is also near the top of the Astros’ home run leaderboard, but he is batting just .254 for the season.
Over his last six games, Jason Heyward has gone 7/19 with two homers for the Astros. For the season, Heyward is batting .299, which is 3rd best on the team. Yainer Diaz has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 8/30 in his last seven games.
Our predicted score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Angels, and with them being listed at +230 on the money line, we see this as a great value pick. If you’re looking for a parlay, we would recommend taking the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs, and we have this one going over.
Looking at a couple of player props, we have Yusei Kikuchi finishing with six strikeouts compared to José Suarez with five. However, we have the Angels finishing with more strikeouts as a team, as we have them finishing with 12 compared to the Astros with six.
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Tips
- We like the Angels on the moneyline (+230)
- The Angels are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Houston Astros Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | Out | Shoulder |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Ben Gamel | Out | Knee |
| Cristian Javier | Out | Elbow |
| Luis Garcia | Out | Elbow |
| Chas McCormick | Out | Hand |
| Bennett Sousa | Out | Shoulder |
| José Urquidy | Out | Elbow |
| Penn Murfee | Out | Elbow |
| Oliver Ortega | Out | Elbow |
| J.P. France | Out | Undisclosed |
Los Angeles Angels Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Trout | Out | Knee |
| Matt Moore | Out | Elbow |
| Kevin Pillar | Out | Thumb |
| Anthony Rendon | Out | Back |
| Robert Stephenson | Out | Elbow |
| Mickey Moniak | Probable | Hand |
| Luis Rengifo | Out | Wrist |
| Jo Adell | Out | Oblique |
| José Soriano | Out | Arm |
| Patrick Sandoval | Out | Arm |
| Andrew Wantz | Out | Elbow |
| José Marte | Out | Illness |
| Bryce Teodosio | Out | Finger |
| Ben Joyce | Out | Shoulder |
| Kelvin Caceres | Out | Lat |
| Samuel Aldegheri | Out | Finger |
