by Rod Pearson
Friday, Jun 02, 2023
Game Time: 4:10 pm ET, Saturday, June 3, 2023
Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
Where to Watch: MLB Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Angels +155, Astros -180; Over/Under: 9.5 runs
Bet365: Moneyline odds: Angels +155, Astros -180; Over/Under: 9.5 runs
BetMGM: Moneyline odds: Angels +155, Astros -180; Over/Under: 9.5 runs
Season Record
Los Angeles Angels: 30-28 (4th place, AL West)
Houston Astros: 33-23 (2nd place, AL West)
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Recent Form
Los Angeles Angels: 5-5 last 10
Houston Astros: 6-4 last 10
Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Preview and Analysis
The Angels are entering this game off of a loss in their last game but won their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 30-28 record overall and have a road record of 15-15. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Saturday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .759 OPS. Shohei Ohtani is their starting pitcher on Friday while Patrick Sandoval is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 3-4 with a 3.42 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 2 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 2 Ks on 8 hits through 6 IP against the Miami Marlins.
The Astros are entering this game off of a win in their last game but lost their 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 33-23 record overall and have a home record of 16-13. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Angels on Saturday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .706 OPS. Framber Valdez is their starting pitcher on Friday while Cristian Javier is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-1 with a 2.97 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 3 BB with 3 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings played against the Oakland A’s.
Angels vs Astros Prediction
The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros got off to a slow start this season after winning the World Series last year but now that we are more than 2 months into the season they are starting to get hot and on a roll once again. Their offense still hasn't been great in their games but their pitching has been some of the best in the league and they have one of their best starters going in this game too, Javier. Javier has been lights out in his starts lately as he hasn't been giving up a ton of runs and he also has a great bullpen behind him to pick up the slack here. The Angels are only sitting right around .500 which is a big improvement for them compared to previous seasons but they still haven't been as good as they are supposed to be. They also have Sandoval starting in this game and he was pitching really well at the beginning of the season but has been slipping up lately and hasn't been pitching as well now. The Astros haven't had the strongest offense this season but they are going to get up for a division rival here and they will get plenty of scoring opportunities in this game at home. It will be a very difficult night for the Angels offense with Javier pitching and the Astros will be able to do enough on offense to win here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game.
Angels Astros Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Saturday, June 3, 2023 (4:10 pm ET start time) is Astros 3 Angels 0.
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MLB Betting Trends
Los Angeles Angels: 73-115 (-14.4 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 86-106 (-11.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 16-10 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5. PATRICK SANDOVAL is 7-4 UNDER on the road when the total is 8.5 to 10.
Houston Astros: 19-8 (+9.8 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8.5 to 10. 92-50 (+15.9 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 8-2 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5. CRISTIAN JAVIER is 9-1 UNDER as a favorite of -175 to -250.
Key Injuries
Los Angeles Angels: M. Moore (RP) Late June - Oblique. A. Warren (RP) out for season - Elbow. A. Rendon (3B) Mid June - Groin. J. Quijada (RP) out for season - Elbow. J. Suarez (RP) Mid June - Shoulder. L. O'Hoppe (C) Late Aug - Shoulder. C. Rodriguez (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. M. Stassi (C) Out indefinitely - Hip.
Houston Astros: J. Urquidy (SP) Late June - Shoulder. M. Brantley (DH) Mid June - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) Mid July - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.
Notable Quotes
“Stu’s one of the better umpires in our game. You guys saw it. Yeah, I don’t ever blame an umpire or a call on a game. We had a lot of chances today and we didn’t come through.” - Phil Nevin after his team’s loss against the Astros in their game on Thursday.
“He was good after he settled down. He started out a little shaky and ... then he settled down and he got out of a couple of tough jams with some tough hitters.” - Dusty Baker after his team’s win against the Angels in their game on Thursday.
Starting Lineups
Los Angeles Angels
Taylor Ward (R) LF
Mike Trout (R) CF
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Brandon Drury (R) 2B
Matt Thaiss (L) C
Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
Gio Urshela (R) 3B
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Zach Neto (R) SS
Houston Astros
Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Corey Julks (R) LF
Jake Meyers (R) CF
Yainer Diaz (R) C
Statistical Leaders
Los Angeles Angels
Batting Average: Livan Soto (.333)
Hits: Gio Urshela (60)
Home Runs: Shohei Ohtani (15)
RBI: Shohei Ohtani (38)
Stolen Bases: Shohei Ohtani (7)
Wins: Shohei Ohtani (5)
Saves: Carlos Estevez (13)
ERA: Ben Joyce (0.00)
Houston Astros
Batting Average: Jose Altuve (.316)
Hits: Kyle Tucker (54)
Home Runs: Yordan Alvarez (14)
RBI: Yordan Alvarez (48)
Stolen Bases: Kyle Tucker (8)
Wins: Cristian Javier (6)
Saves: Ryan Pressly (11)
ERA: Phil Maton (0.68)
Managers:
Los Angeles Angels: Phil Nevin (2nd season)
Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th 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.
