by Rod Pearson
Saturday, Jul 15, 2023
Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Sunday, July 16, 2023
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Astros -130, Angels +110; Over/Under: 9 runs
Bet365: Moneyline odds: Astros -130, Angels +110; Over/Under: 9 runs
BetMGM: Moneyline odds: Astros -130, Angels +110; Over/Under: 9 runs
Season Record
Houston Astros: 51-41 (2nd place, AL West)
Los Angeles Angels: 45-47 (4th place, AL West)
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Recent Form
Houston Astros: 6-4 last 10
Los Angeles Angels: 1-9 last 10
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Preview and Analysis
The Astros are entering this series off of a loss and lost their 4-game series against the Seattle Mariners 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 51-41 record overall and have a road record of 26-19. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Angels on Sunday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Saturday. They also won the series opener of this series on Friday. Their offense ranks 16th in the MLB with a .723 OPS. Framber Valdez is their starting pitcher on Saturday while Cristian Javier is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 7-1 with a 4.34 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 8 ER, 2 HR, and 0 BB with 4 Ks on 9 hits through 4.1 IP against the Texas Rangers.
The Angels are entering this series on a 5 game losing streak and got swept 2-0 in their 2-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their last series. They enter this game with a 45-47 record overall and have a home record of 23-21. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Sunday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Saturday. They also lost the 1st game of this series on Friday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .772 OPS. Reid Detmers is their starting pitcher on Saturday while Tyler Anderson is making his start in this game on Sunday. He is 4-2 with a 5.25 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 4.1 innings played against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Astros vs Angels Prediction
The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros have been playing a lot better lately and now they have a chance to gain some momentum out of the All-Star break with the Angels going through a big slump now. The Angels have been slipping lately now under .500 and they have been dealing with some key injuries too which have come at the wrong time. The Astros will be looking to take advantage of the slumping Angels in this series and they do have the better pitching matchup here. The Astros are going with Javier in this game and he was terrible in his last start giving up 8 runs but that is also a very rare occurrence for him and he will be looking to bounce back with a much better performance in this start after having the last week off. The Angels have a good offense this season but they haven't been putting up a lot of runs during this slump and they are going to struggle to put up runs here on Javier. The Angels are also going with Anderson in this game and he hasn't been a great starter this season. He has been giving up a lot of runs in his starts all year and he will struggle to keep the Astros offense off the board since the Astros have been getting really hot with their offense lately. The Astros also have a big edge with their bullpen since their pitching staff has been much better than the Angels overall all season and they will use this series to get on a big run and propel themselves forward out of the break. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game.
Astros Angels Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Sunday, July 16, 2023 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 6 Angels 1.
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MLB Betting Trends
Houston Astros: 18-10 (+7.6 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 26-19 (+9 units) on the moneyline in road games. CRISTIAN JAVIER is 13-4 OVER in all games and 12-3 OVER when the total is 7 to 8.5.
Los Angeles Angels: 45-47 (-9.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 19-18 (-5.8 units) on the moneyline at home when the total is 8.5 to 10. 24-16 OVER when the total is 7 to 8.5. TYLER ANDERSON is 8-4 OVER when the total is 8.5 to 10.
Key Injuries
Houston Astros: J. Urquidy (SP) Early Aug - Shoulder. Y. Alvarez (LF) Late July - Oblique. J. Altuve (2B) Late July - Oblique. M. Brantley (DH) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) out for season - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.
Los Angeles Angels: S. Ohtani (SP) day-to-day - Finger. S. Bachman (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. A. Rendon (3B) Out Indefinitely - Shin. J. Adell (LF) Out Indefinitely - Oblique. B. Joyce (RP) Mid Aug - Hand. M. Trout (CF) Early Sept - Wrist. B. Drury (3B) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. G. Urshela (3B) out for season - Pelvis. J. Suarez (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. M. Stassi (C) Out indefinitely - Hip. A. Warren (RP) out for season - Elbow. J. Quijada (RP) out for season - Elbow. L. O'Hoppe (C) Late Aug - Shoulder. C. Rodriguez (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.
Notable Quotes
“Seemed like he wasn’t really himself tonight. Don’t know if that blister is still bothering him, but he didn’t throw some pitches he normally throws. Anytime you get five runs off Ohtani, you did well. But he didn’t look like himself.” - Dusty Baker on Shohei Ohtani after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Friday.
“I just thought something wasn’t looking right there in the sixth. I saw something not right after he walked (Julks), so I wanted to check on him, and he kind of mentioned that the finger was a little sensitive. Didn’t come open, didn’t break or anything like that, but decided it was good to get him out then.” - Phil Nevin on Shohei Ohtani after his team’s loss against the Astros in their game on Friday.
Starting Lineups
Houston Astros
Mauricio Dubon (R) 2B
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Chas McCormick (R) CF
Bligh Madris (L) DH
Corey Julks (R) LF
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Martin Maldonado (R) C
Los Angeles Angels
Zach Neto (R) SS
Shohei Ohtani (L) P
Taylor Ward (R) LF
Mickey Moniak (L) CF
Luis Rengifo (S) 3B
Mike Moustakas (L) 1B
Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
Chad Wallach (R) C
Michael Stefanic (R) 2B
Statistical Leaders
Houston Astros
Batting Average: Kyle Tucker (.291)
Hits: Kyle Tucker (95)
Home Runs: Yordan Alvarez (17)
RBI: Kyle Tucker (57)
Stolen Bases: Corey Julks (15)
Wins: Cristian Javier (7)
Saves: Ryan Pressly (21)
ERA: Hector Neris (1.63)
Los Angeles Angels
Batting Average: Mickey Moniak (.319)
Hits: Shohei Ohtani (105)
Home Runs: Shohei Ohtani (32)
RBI: Shohei Ohtani (71)
Stolen Bases: Shohei Ohtani (11)
Wins: Shohei Ohtani (7)
Saves: Carlos Estevez (21)
ERA: Matt Moore (1.44)
Managers:
Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)
Los Angeles Angels: Phil Nevin (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
