In the second of a three-game series between the Houston Astros (4-6) and the Los Angeles Angels (4-6) at Minute Maid Park, Dallas Keuchel (1-0, 1.29 ERA) and C.J. Wilson (1-1, 3.95 ERA) get the start. The Angels won the last game 6-3 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and will air on FSN-W and ROOT-SW.
Keuchel has a 5.15 ERA and a 4-1 record in his career against the Angels, but faces a struggling Los Angeles offense that’s hitting just .227 on the year. Jake Marisnick (.333, 2 Rs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday. In his career against the Astros, Wilson is 7-5 with a 4.15 ERA. He meets a less-than-stellar Houston offense that’s batting just .207. Mike Trout (.444, 9 Rs, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been doing well to start the season for the Angels, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and five RBIs.
Houston is a -120 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Astros have a 3-3 record and overall money line at -118. They have an SU record of 3-3 against teams in their division and a 2-2 record when they were the favorite in those games. Within their division, Houston’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 3.3 runs per game, well over their season average of 2.6. The Astros are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 10 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Whenever an AL West opponent shows up on the calendar, the Astros seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 3.4 runs per game, but allow 4.0 against teams from their own division. The Astros are fifth in the AL in walks allowed with just 2.6 per game.
Across the field, the Angels have a record of 2-1 when they are the underdog and are -173 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 4-2 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 2-1 record. Los Angeles has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 4.3 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.8. The Angels are one of the top AL pitching staffs on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of three runs allowed per away game.
So far this season, the Angels are 1-0 against the Astros.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Under
Notes
Los Angeles has won 33% (1-2) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Houston has won 60% (3-2) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Astros are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Angels have a record of 1-3 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Astros are 0-3. The Angels have a 1-5 record when opponents outhit them.
Los Angeles ranks in the top half of the league at 12th when it comes to home runs, hitting 10 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 12.
Ranking 15th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.78 per game. Los Angeles ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 7.67.
Ranking 22nd, Houston is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.635). Los Angeles ranks in the bottom half at 18th with an OPS of .659.
When the Angels allow at least one home run, they are 3-5. When the Astros allow one or more homers, they have a 0-4 record.
