Runs may be hard to come by in this one as Hector Santiago (4-4, 2.77 ERA) and the Los Angeles Angels (35-35) go up against Brett Oberholtzer (2-1, 2.73 ERA) and the Houston Astros (41-30) in the first of a three-game series at Angel Stadium. The game starts at 10:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 22 and will air on ROOT-SW and FSN-W.
Santiago is 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA, 27 strikeouts and 17 walks against the Astros in his career. Mike Trout (.304, 52 Rs, 18 HRs, 41 RBIs, 8 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4. In his career against the Angels, Oberholtzer is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts. George Springer (.284, 38 Rs, 12 HRs, 26 RBIs, 13 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Astros, going 3 for 5 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Los Angeles, a -124 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Angels are 21-17 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -223. They are 3-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games.
Moving on to the away team, the Astros come into this game with a solid win percentage of .600 when playing as the underdog (21-14) and an overall money line of +793. Against divisional rivals, they are 20-14 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 14-5 record. During the last 10 games, they averaged 6.0 runs per game, above their 4.4 season average. Houston is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 230 extra base hits. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 56 stolen bases. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest road ERA in the AL at 3.84. They have a WHIP of 1.17 on the year, good for tops in the league.
The Astros have gotten the better of the Angels in head-to-head matchups this season, going 4-3. The Angels will take on a left-hander (Oberholtzer) in this game and have an 8-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the left-hander Santiago. They sport a 14-15 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles has won 57% (17-13) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Houston has won 61% (17-11) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Angels are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Astros have an 8-18 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Angels are 7-24. The Astros have a 9-20 record when opponents outhit them.
Houston tops the league in home runs with 103 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 72.
Los Angeles and Houston both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at 13th with 7.99 hits per game and Houston ranks 12th with 8.01.
Ranking 23rd, Los Angeles is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.687). Houston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .736.
The Astros are 15-21 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Angels are 15-28 when they allow at least one homer.
