American League opponents go at it again Wednesday in Anaheim, as the Tampa Bay Rays will look to salvage the final leg of a three-game bill against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Halos have won both of the teams’ first two clashes by a combined 23-3 score. That includes the hosts’ perfect storm of rookie Reid Detmers’ no-hitter and an 18-hit offensive outburst Tuesday.
That win considered, the Angels (21-11) have come out on the right side of three in a row and six of their last seven. Los Angeles leads the pack in the AL West and is tied with the New York Yankees as having the most victories in the league to this point.
Having recently been on a roll, Tampa Bay (18-13) has hit a wall, losing its last three outings. The Rays sit a few games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Tampa Bay has three batters — right fielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Wander Franco, and left fielder Harold Ramirez — with at least 60 plate appearances that have an average of .300 or better. Over the last week, right fielder Randy Arozarena has nine hits in 29 tries.
Margot’s .337 total batting average is impressive enough for the eighth-highest in the league. He paces the Rays with 20 runs driven in, but sat out Tuesday’s game with a hamstring ailment.
Rays at Angels Odds
MLB odds have the Angels favored to continue their hot streak in this one. Los Angeles is -1.5 on the run line at +176, while the Rays are -215 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Angels are -120 and Tampa Bay a +102 underdog. The total has been set at seven runs, with the over being -112 and the under -108 at the time of this writing.
If Los Angeles’ momentum from the initial pair of meetings carries over, this is a no-brainer. The Angels have piled up 145 RBIs and 40 home runs to this point. Both are the tops in the league, and the offensive firepower helps explain the numbers.
Over the previous seven days, first baseman Jared Walsh has went yard four times. A dozen of his 23 RBIs have come during the same stretch.
Matchup Information
Rays at Angels Betting Preview
On the bump for the Angels will be fifth-year right-hander Shohei Ohtani, who has posted a 3-2 record thus far. In his last time out, at the Boston Red Sox, he went seven scoreless innings on the way to his team’s commanding 8-0 win. It might have been the best he’s pitched as a big leaguer.
Los Angeles has won each of Ohtani’s most recent three starts, two of which were shutouts.
He’s spent 26.1 innings on the mound so far in this campaign and has given up only nine runs. He has 41 strikeouts. The combination of his arm and bat have made for some interesting MLB betting trends.
Tampa Bay trots out a solid hurler in his own right in Shane McClanahan. He sports a 3.06 ERA and has conceded seven hits in his last two appearances combined. Against Seattle a week ago, he posted his first win of the season.
Rays at Angels Picks and Predictions
Hearing as much as they have about underachieving, even with Ohtani and Mike Trout, Los Angeles is putting trying to dispel such notions.
They’ve done a good job of this up until this point, and with powerful demonstrations against a contending Tampa Bay crews, the Angels have shown that they can make noise.
The fact that the Rays have the ability to bounce back makes this one of the more difficult MLB picks today. But, with its ace on the hill and a group of adept hitters picking raring to go, Los Angeles appears to be the attractive bet here.
Take the Angels to sweep the series, but expect Tampa Bay to keep it close. Get to betting on baseball and choose Los Angeles on the moneyline and the Rays to cover.
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