Hector Santiago (2-2, 3.14 ERA) and Collin McHugh (4-0, 3.41 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Los Angeles Angels (13-15) and the Houston Astros (18-10) at Angel Stadium. Action begins at 10:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 7 and can be seen on ROOT-SW and FSN-W.
Santiago is 0-2 with a 7.47 ERA in his appearances against the Astros, but goes up against a below-average Houston offense which is batting just .238 this season. Mike Trout (.300, 23 Rs, 7 HRs, 17 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. McHugh is 2-2 with a 1.90 ERA when pitching against the Angels. He is up against a below-average Los Angeles offense which is hitting just .226 this season.
Houston takes on Los Angeles as a -116 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Angels have recorded an overall money line of -496 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 4-7. Los Angeles has recorded a disappointing 2-5 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. The Angels have seen an uptick in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 4.2 runs per game. They average 3.8 runs per game on the season.
In games where it is the favorite, Houston has a 5-6 record and an overall money line of +870. Despite an underwhelming record as the favorite over their last 10 games (1-3), they pulled off an impressive 7-3 SU record. Offensively, they average six runs per game on the road, which is the best in the AL. The Astros are tough outs for opponents, ranking second in the AL with 10.7 hits per road game. The Astros are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 33 stolen bases. Houston’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.22 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Astros are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.10 for the season.
The Astros lead the season series, 2-1. The Angels have a bad 2-6 record at home (7-13 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when McHugh takes the mound. Santiago (LHP) will be on the hill against the Astros, who have very good records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 3-1 and 8-4, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 9-4, while Los Angeles is 6-6.
The Angels are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Astros have a 1-2 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Angels have a slight leg up on the Astros, as the Angels have won their last two games while the Astros have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Angels are 7-4. The Astros have an 11-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd in runs, Los Angeles has earned 106 this season. Houston ranks sixth with 130 runs.
Ranking 19th, Los Angeles is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 77 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at third with 99.
The Angels are 10-8 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Astros are 14-7 when they hit at least one homer.
