Rangers To Win AL West Showdown Against Angels
Angels vs Rangers Lines Favor Hosts in Divisional Series
A pair of AL West teams square off this weekend when the Texas Rangers host the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series that starts on Friday. Both are coming off series losses at home but won the final game they played in those series. The Angels vs Rangers lines for the series opener favor the home team, with Texas listed at -180on the moneyline. Los Angeles has +150 odds for the outright victory on Friday.
Los Angeles had lost three straight before beating the Houston Astros by 2.5 games entering Thursday’s MLB action.
Texas snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. The Rangers are in second place in the division standings, trailing the first-place Seattle Mariners by 1.5 games.
If you’re making your bets on the run line, you can get the Angels at -135 when they get 1.5 runs, while the Rangers are +114 when giving those runs. The over/under for the contest has been set at nine runs, with the over getting -120 and the under +100.
The series opens with a 8:05 p.m. ET contest on Friday, followed by a 7:15 p.m. ET game on Saturday. The final game is scheduled for a 2:35 p.m. ET first pitch in Arlington, Texas.
Records: Los Angeles Angels (16-28), Texas Rangers (23-22)
Day/Time:
Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Streaming: ESPN
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Tyler Anderson (Los Angeles) vs Andrew Heaney (Texas)
Los Angeles will have left-hander Tyler Anderson starting the series opener on Friday. The 34-year-old is 3-4 with a 2.92 ERA in eight starts this season, striking out 36 in 49.1 innings. He’s coming off a win against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday where he went 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one.
The only scheduled starter in this series for Texas is lefty Andrew Heaney, who will make his ninth start on Friday. Heaney is 0-4 with a 4.39 ERA, striking out 39 in 41 innings of work. Heaney has been solid in three May starts, going 18 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on 19 hits while striking out 17 and walking none.
Game 2: Patrick Sandoval (Los Angeles) vs Undecided (Texas)
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval will get the call for the Angels on Saturday, bringing a 2-6 record and 5.00 ERA to his 10th start of the campaign. Sandoval has struck out 48 batters in 45 innings this season. He had a rough outing in his last start, going six innings against the Royals and allowing four runs on 11 hits, which came just one start after he had seven shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Texas is still juggling its starting rotation while waiting for their injured pitchers to be ready to come back. The closest to returning is right-hander Dane Dunning, though he’s not expected to be ready until next week at the earliest. The Rangers called up righty Shaun Anderson from Triple-A Round Rock this week, though he’s not expected to start in this series.
Game 3: Jose Soriano (Los Angeles) vs Undecided (Texas)
The Angels are hoping for a repeat performance from righty Jose Soriano in Sunday’s series finale. The 25-year-old is 1-4 with a 3.72 ERA but is coming off a solid outing against the Cardinals on Monday. Soriano went 5.1 innings and allowed no runs on just two hits, the second time in three starts that he’s shut out the opposition for at least five-plus innings.
Sunday may be a bullpen game for the Rangers, who have Monday off so they can rest their bullpen arms that have to make extended appearances in this contest. Texas Rangers games have been about the team struggling to put together a healthy starting rotation all season long. But the names that are out – Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Dunning, Nathan Eovaldi – could all be difference-makers when they get healthy.
Offense Favors Rangers In Series
While the Rangers have had trouble on the mound this season, they’ve been able to score runs with the best of them, lighting up the Major League Baseball scoreboard on many nights. Texas was the top-scoring team in the American League entering Thursday’s action with 213 runs, thanks in part to a team batting average (.252) that ranked eighth in the majors. Los Angeles isn’t too far off the Rangers’ pace, sitting 15th in baseball in runs with 188.
Outfielder Taylor Ward has been the most consistent player at the plate for the Angels, batting .269 on the season. Ward is coming off a 2-for-5 day with a solo home run in Wednesday’s win over the Cardinals. He has eight doubles, eight home runs, 26 RBI, and 25 runs scored in 2024.
A look at the Texas Rangers statistics shows outfielder Adolis Garcia leading the way in both home runs and RBI. Garcia is batting .259 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 34 RBI and 23 runs scored, and he’s had home runs in each of the last two games. Over the last two games against Cleveland Guardians, Garcia was 4-for-8 with a double, two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored.
Rangers Win Series At Home
While the Angels have a more secure rotation of starters, the Rangers have the edge at the plate in this series. Los Angeles has struggled on the road this season, going 10-12, and that should continue against Texas.
In making our MLB predictions for this series, we see Texas coming out on top in at least two of the three matchups. Make sure to put your wagers on the Rangers in some high-scoring contests.
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