Colby Lewis (8-3, 4.13 ERA) and C.J. Wilson (6-6, 3.78 ERA) start in the last of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (41-41) and the Los Angeles Angels (43-38) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Angels won the last game 13-0 and Los Angeles leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jul. 5 and can be seen on FSN-SW.
Lewis is 2-8 with a 5.71 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts against the Angels. Prince Fielder (.346, 40 Rs, 12 HRs, 49 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. When pitching against the Rangers, Wilson is 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts. Albert Pujols (.263, 49 Rs, 24 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Los Angeles is a slim -115 favorite over Texas. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at nine runs for this matchup. The Rangers have an overall money line of +1,474 and a record as the underdog of 36-35. Texas has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 10-18 and 11-21 as the underdog and SU respectively. The Rangers have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.6 runs per game. They average 4.3 runs per game on the season. Texas’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 4.9 against fellow AL West members, compared to its 4.3 season average.
In games where it is the favorite, Los Angeles has a 26-20 record and an overall money line of +47. They have been playing solid baseball as favorite with a 16-9 record against AL West opponents, and a 23-16 record SU. Los Angeles is excellent at not striking out n the road with just 7.1 per game, ranking fourth in the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Angels are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season.
The Angels have controlled the season series, 6-2. The Rangers have a 14-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Wilson takes the mound. Lewis (RHP) will be on the hill against the Angels, who have a 31-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Angels won by a margin of 13 runs. The Rangers are 2-3 in games decided by a margin of 10 runs or more. The Angels have a 3-1 record in blowouts.
Texas has won 42% (15-21) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Los Angeles has won 62% (21-13) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Angels have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
It looks like the Angels have a slight leg up on the Rangers, as the Angels have won their last two games while the Rangers have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Angels are 31-9. The Rangers have a 31-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th, Los Angeles sits in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 324 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 11th with 348.
Texas and Los Angeles both rank in the top half of the league in walks. Texas sits at 13th with 240 this season and Los Angeles ranks 15th with 233.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 30-19, well-matched with the Angels who are 31-20 when hitting one or more homers.
