Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Preview
Friday’s matchup between the Angels and Astros is set to get started at 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. The Astros are 83-70 and are starting Justin Verlander, while the Angels are 62-91 and Tyler Anderson on the mound.
Houston comes into the game as the heavy favorite, with money line odds of -251, while the Angels are sitting at +210. The over/under line is currently 8 runs, and the game will be televised on BSW.
Check out BetCoco for Houston Astros – Los Angeles Angels odds
Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Angels are 1-4. This includes going 1-4 vs. the runline.
- The Astros, on the other hand, have played five home games recently, during which they have recorded a 3-2 (SU) and 3-2 record.
- 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.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Angels have a 2-8 straight-up record and a 2-8 record vs. the runline.
Houston picked up a 3-1 win over the Angels in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a late rally, scoring two runs in the 8th and another in the 9th. As for the Angels, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -287 on the money line.
Yusei Kikuchi got the start for the Astros, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued a season-high six walks. Bryan Abreu got the win out of the bullpen, and Josh Hader got the save. Ryan Miller took the loss for the Angels.
Jon Singleton had a two-hit game for the Astros, scoring two runs and driving in two. Taylor Ward was the only Angels hitter to have more than one hit, going 1/4 with a home run.
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction
With an overall record of 62-91, the Angels trail the Astros by 21 games in the AL West. Currently, they are in 5th place in the division, five games behind the Athletics for the 4th spot in the AL West. The Angels lost the first game of this series vs. the Astros and are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Angels are 32-46 this season, and they are just under .500 at 30-45 on the road. This year, the Angels have really struggled as the underdog, going 54-75. Los Angeles has also had a tough time as the favorite, posting an 8-16 mark. So far, they have an overall series record of 13-32-3.
The Angels have been a solid run-line bet on the road this season, going 38-37, but they are currently in the midst of a three-game run-line losing streak away from home. They have also been a profitable run-line bet as an underdog, going 70-59 on the run line, compared to just 6-18 as the favorite. Overall, the Angels are 76-77 on the run line this season, with an average run margin of -0.9 runs per game.
The Angels are on the road in Houston today, where the O/U line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.7, and their O/U record is 72-75. Their games have averaged a line of 9 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they are 17-10-2. Overall, 71.2% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs, and they have gone under in their last three games.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Angels today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 29 starts this season and has a record of 10-13 with a 3.60 ERA. Anderson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. In his 29 appearances, he has turned in 12 quality starts and is averaging 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Anderson’s last outing came on September 14th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss.
Over his last nine games, Nolan Schanuel has been on fire for the Angels, going 13/32 (.406) with one home run and five RBIs. Taylor Ward has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 8/32 with three homers in this stretch. Ward is also on a three-game hitting streak. For the season, Ward and Zach Neto are tied for the team lead in RBIs (71) and Ward is the team’s leader in home runs.
For the season, the Angels are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in most other offensive categories, including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team, they are batting just .228.
Houston is 83-70 overall this season, putting them five games ahead of the Mariners for the AL West lead. So far, they have gone 26-20 in divisional matchups. The Astros won the series opener vs. the Angels and have an overall series record of 26-20-2 this year.
At home, the Astros are 43-32 this year compared to a 40-38 mark on the road. They have been good as the favorite, putting up a mark of 64-49, and they are 19-21 as the underdog. Houston has won five straight games as the favorite.
At home, the Astros have a run line record of 36-39, but they have covered the run line in two straight games. They have an average scoring margin of 1.0 runs per game at home, and their overall run line record is 79-74.
When the Houston Astros play at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is below their season average of 8.5 runs per game. The Astros have played to the under in 61 of their 87 games this season, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 13-14-2. The under has hit in their last four games.
Right-hander Justin Verlander gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Angels at home. Verlander has made 15 starts this year and has a record of 4-6 with a 5.20 ERA. So far, he has turned in five quality starts and is averaging 7.34 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Verlander picked up the win vs. the Angels, going five innings and giving up two earned runs. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. This season, he has an ERA of 9.02 at home compared to 4.6 on the road.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros’ top power threat this season, as his 34 homers lead the team and is 8th in the league. Alvarez also leads the team with 85 RBIs. However, he has struggled of late, going just 4/26 in his last seven games. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman have also been key run producers for the Astros, with Altuve batting .299 and Bregman at .254.
As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been especially good at home, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Houston is also one of the league’s best teams at putting the ball in play, as they have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.
Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Astros, which would give us a push on the over/under line. However, we do see this game going over the 8 run line, and that is where we would recommend placing your bet.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Justin Verlander is projected to finish with seven strikeouts compared to Tyler Anderson with just four. Verlander is also predicted to go seven innings, while Anderson is projected to go six.
As for the offenses, our projections have the Astros finishing with nine hits compared to the Angels with nine. The Angels are predicted to finish with five runs, and the Astros with six.
If you’re looking for a money line pick, the payout for an Astros win is -251, and we do see them coming out on top.
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Tips
- Take the Astros on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Angels (+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 | Leg |
| 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 |
