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MLB Best Bets Today: Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros
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Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros
The Los Angeles Angels take on the Houston Astros in the second game of this three-game division series. The Astros won a close game yesterday that ended 5-3 but it could have gone either way. These teams are in completely different positions right now. The Houston Astros are looking to make the playoffs for the eighth straight season and have won two World Series titles in that span. They are 79-68 and lead the division by 4.5 games over the Seattle Mariners. They have won two games in a row but lost six of their last 10 games. They are 42-32 at home this season, but just 37-36 on the road. They have also been very good against losing teams this season. The Los Angeles Angels have been the complete opposite. They are going to miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season and haven't had a winning season since 2015. Unless they go on an incredible hot streak, they are likely to have their worst season since 1996 when they only won 70 games. They are 60-87 this season, so they would need to finish 10-5 to beat that mark. The last time they won fewer than 70 games in a full season was in 1980 when they only won 65 games. This Angels team is truly in rare company. They have lost three straight games and seven of their last 10. They are also just 30-43 at home and 39-53 against teams with winning records. They are 3-5 against the Astros this season (1-3 at home).
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Tyler Anderson is starting for the Angels. He is coming off a great start where he only allowed one earned run on one hit in five innings pitched. He had been struggling a bit more in August, especially at home, but he has pitched well against the Astros this season. He allowed four runs in six innings against the Astros in his most recent start vs. Houston. He allowed just one run in eight innings pitched against the Astros earlier this season. Justin Verlander has struggled this whole season. He has been dealing with injuries and has only made four starts since returning from the injured list (IL). He has had one decent start, allowing two runs in five innings pitched, but other than that, he has been really bad. He allowed four runs in five innings in his next start against the Phillies. He allowed five runs in 4.2 innings against the Reds the start after. Most recently, he allowed eight runs in three innings against the Diamondbacks.
The Astros have been hitting lefties pretty well lately, ranking seventh in wOBA against lefties in the last 30 days. The Angels, on the other hand, have not been hitting all that great lately, ranking 29th in the league in wOBA against righties in the last 30 days. However, both these teams have very good bullpens. The Astros are third in the league in bullpen ERA in the last 30 days and the Angels are sixth. However, the Angels will have their entire bullpen available while the Astros could be without Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu, who have each pitched two days in a row and in three of the last four days. The Astros are 14-13 in the last 30 days but just 4-7 on the road in that timeframe while the Angels are 8-18 in the last 30 days. However, the Angels are 4-5 at home in that span. I don't think the Astros sweep this series. This is a very good matchup for the Angels, so I think there is plenty of value at plus-money.
Best MLB Bet Today
Angels ML (+145 Draftkings Sportsbook)
