by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Jun 05, 2022
Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
Venue: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: Bally Sports West, NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Phillies -125, Angels +105
BetMGM: Phillies -120, Angels +100
Caesars: Phillies -120, Angels +100
Season record
Angels: 27-27
Phillies: 24-29
This has been a weird season to this point as we get through the second month of baseball season. The last 30 days, we've seen Jim Feist rack up plenty of good wins going 48-42-4 over the last 30 days. It's been an unpredictable season so far, but our champion handicappers have been doing well all season. Get on board and join the ride. Catch Jim's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Angels - Phillies preview and analysis
Ten games ago, the Los Angeles Angels were challenging for first place in the American League West and were 27-17. Ten games later, the Los Angeles Angels are not doing much right now because they’ve lost 10 straight and are now 27-27.
Do the math, and yes, you are correct, the Angels have a 10-game losing streak and the land of Mickey Mouse is currently under fire with no chance of getting any better. Because at this point, why should we believe them? They’ve already lost this series to the Philadelphia Phillies, which in of itself is just embarrassing.
"We're just not hitting," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "We can't cover any of our mistakes. You have to be able to cover a bad lie every once in a while. We're not able to do that right now."
How bad are things right now? Mike Trout struck out three times in the 7-2 loss to the Phillies on Saturday. Part of us should be thinking about how the Phillies are playing better after firing Joe Girardi, but it’s really just the inept playing of the Angels with no credit to the Phillies to this point.
"I'm just trying to get into a good position to hit," Trout said, who is on a 0-for-23 hitless streak. "And right now, I'm not."
That’s certainly one way to put it. The Angels haven’t seen their three-time MVP go through a stretch like this since May 2018 when he went 0-for-21. If Trout isn’t going, it’s almost like he wasn’t playing at all … just like last year. Which is why it was horrible to watch the Angels last year.
"I'm in it," Trout said. "I've got to get out of it. I'm just searching too much right now."
It’s not just the fact the Phillies have won these last two games, it’s the fact they’ve scored 17 runs in these last two games with nothing absolutely making sense. This is a group that continues to underperform, but has found ways to actually play well in these last two games.
Philadelphia scored five runs in the first inning, highlighted with J.T. Realmuto’s two-run double. All in all, with 15 runs through the first nine innings of Rob Thomson’s debut as Phillies manager is off to a good start in what was needed. This is a group that might be top-heavy, but should still score a lot of runs.
"I'm still preparing certain things that I need during the game, but there's less of that and it's more about being with the players, communicating with them," Thomson said.
Prediction
I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m taking the Phillies to complete the sweep. It’s truly incredible that the Angels are this bad at the moment, but to be that bad to pick the Phillies when they still haven’t done anything to win me over, says a lot, actually. Phillies win 8-5
Betting trends
Angels are 3-10 this season as an underdog.
Angels are 3-8 as a road underdog this season.
Phillies are 4-11 when the total is 8 to 8.5 at home this season.
Projected lineup
Angels:
Matt Duffy (R) 3B
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Max Stassi (R) C
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Luis Rengifo (S) 2B
Juan Lagares (R) RF
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
SP - Patrick Sandoval
Phillies:
Kyle Schwarber (L) LF
Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B
Bryce Harper (L) DH
Nick Castellanos (R) RF
J.T. Realmuto (R) C
Alec Bohm (R) 3B
Bryson Stott (L) SS
Johan Camargo (S) 2B
Mickey Moniak (L) CF
SP - Kyle Gibson
Statistical leaders
Angels:
Batting average: Mike Trout – .278
Home runs: Mike Trout – 13
RBI: Shohei Ohtani – 32
Wins: Michael Lorenzen – 5
ERA: N/A
Phillies:
Batting average: Bryce Harper – .304
Home runs: Kyle Schwarber – 14
RBI: Bryce Harper – 36
Wins: Zack Wheeler – 4
ERA: Zack Wheeler – 3.14
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
