Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/17/2022

Time: 2:35 p.m. ET

Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to watch: Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Southwest

DraftKings: Angels -120, Rangers +100

BetMGM: Angels -120, Rangers +100

Caesars: Angels -125, Rangers +105

Angels: 5-4

Rangers: 2-6

Okay, so maybe it took just one more game for the bats of the Los Angeles Angels to wake up against the Texas Rangers. Particularly speaking, Shohei Ohtani is making Globe Life Field his permanent residence and has awoken in a big play.

Ohtani hit his third homer in two days Saturday, and the Angels got stellar work from Noah Syndergaard in his second start with his new team to give L.A. a 7-2 win over the Rangers to at least earn a split in this four-game series.

The finale comes Sunday in Arlington, and the Angels have to feel good about how everything transpired as far as getting their bats woken up. Ohtani went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, and Max Stassi drove in two with the Angels chasing Taylor Hearn after just 3.2 innings and six hits.

But the night belonged to Syndergaard, who returned to his home state of Texas to deliver a Texas-sized performance for the Angels’ No. 2 starter. Trying to find someone to take the pressure off Ohtani in the rotation was one of the Angels’ top priorities, and while it might have been a risk given Syndergaard’s injury history, especially with Tommy John Surgery, it’s paid off so far and the Angels are reaping the rewards.

"I think there's a little bit of added pressure because you want to go out there and pitch well in front of your family and friends," said Syndergaard, who donned a black cowboy hat while speaking to the media. "But you still have to treat it like a normal game and I'm very pleased with the results."

Syndergaard threw only five pitches in the first inning and that set the tone. The only one to contribute offensively was Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who had three of Texas’ six hits but was not responsible for any of the runs driven in. Because that makes sense.

"That's the thing -- he's a big guy, so you think he just throws hard, but his changeup and breaking ball are outstanding," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "And with command. I can't emphasize that enough. That's the difference between him and a lot of other guys. He commands all of his pitches, especially his offspeed pitches."

The Rangers’ bats, which have been very good through seven games, went quiet for the first time. Corey Seager went hitless for the first time, Adolis Garcia also went 0-for-4, as did Willie Calhoun. Marcus Semien had a hit in four tries with an RBI, which shows how topsy-turvy this game was from that standpoint.

But the problem was once again the pitching. Hearn didn’t get through the fourth, and the bullpen once again was not great. It hasn’t helped that presumptive ace Jon Gray landed on the injured list one start into his Texas tenure, but this was always going to be the problem with the Rangers. Waiting on Jack Leiter to rise through the minors is going to be a ways away.

“We need somebody [in the rotation] to step up in a lot of ways,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “I thought Taylor threw OK today. But with 80 pitches in four innings, I had to go get him [out]. Obviously, we’ve got to improve in a lot of ways. We're not playing well enough to win games right now. Our games earlier in the season were close. We just didn't do one thing better in the later innings to win the game. But today, we didn't do anything well.”

It’s just another reminder that the Rangers could’ve had more wins if their pitching was better, but it’s going to be a while.

Speaking of needing more out of the rotation, things don’t look great for Martin Perez taking the mound for the Rangers. They’ll be going against Jose Suarez and with both pitchers looking for their first win, this might be a time where the bats come alive. But the Angels have a knack for getting to the bullpen early and often, and I’d expect that to continue on Sunday. Angels win 8-4

Angels are 40-52 the past three seasons when the ML is between +125 and -125.

Angels are 42-36 the past three seasons against left-handers.

Rangers are 45-73 the past three seasons against division opponents.

Angels:
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Jack Mayfield (R) 2B
Max Stassi (R) C
Matt Duffy (R) 1B
Jo Adell (R) RF
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
Jose Suarez (LHP) 0-1, 4.15 ERA

Rangers:
Brad Miller (L) LF
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) C
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Andy Ibanez (R) 3B
Willie Calhoun (L) DH
Martin Perez (LHP) 0-1, 6.75 ERA

Batting average: Jared Walsh -- .355

Hits: Jared Walsh -- 11

Home runs: Shohei Ohtani -- 3

RBI: Brandon Marsh -- 7

Wins: Noah Syndergaard -- 2

Saves: Raisel Iglesias -- 2

ERA: Noah Syndergaard -- 1.59

Batting average: Nathaniel Lowe -- .375

Hits: Nathaniel Lowe -- 12

Home runs: Two tied -- 2

RBI: Jonah Heim -- 8

Wins: Two tied -- 1

Saves: N/A

ERA: Dane Dunning -- 5.19