MLB Moneyline Best Bet: Wednesday July 13th
The Houston Astros are in Anaheim for the second of a three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday evening. Houston won the series opener 6-5 on Tuesday thanks to a ninth inning run off Raisel Iglesias. The win improved the Astros to 57-29 on the season, while the Angels have dropped to 38-50. Houston has won eight of its 11 against the Angels in 2022.
MLB Moneyline Best Bet: July 13th
- Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros: Houston Astros to Win (OT Incl)
Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Best Bet
Thu, Jul 14. 02:38 (UK time)
The Angels are on an 11-33 run. As such, it’s remarkable to see them narrowly favoured for this matchup, but that just goes to show how great Shohei Ohtani has been on the mound of late. Three of their last five wins have come in Ohtani starts. The Astros are also without two big leftie bats in Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley, making their offence slightly less dangerous against the right-handed, two-way sensation.
Houston is sending out an elite starter of its own, however. As spectacular as Ohtani has been, Cristian Javier has matched him. The 25-year-old boasts a 2.47 xERA and ranks in the top five percent in strikeout rate. His contact numbers of late have been even better than earlier in the season despite conceding three homers to the Kansas City Royals last time out.
Javier faces an Angels line up which has been calamitous over the last couple of months. They are dead-last in team wRC+ since the start of June. Their 29% strikeout rate is over three percentage points higher than anyone else.
This is a stark contrast to the run-scoring juggernaut from Texas. The Astros lead the league in wRC+ over the same span, ranking second in walk rate and second in strikeout rate. Jose Altuve and co-handed Ohtani a loss on opening night and swept the Angels over a three-game series earlier this month. Houston is 21-6 since losing to the Marlins on June 11th.
The starting matchup is closer than reputation alone would indicate. There’s a chasm between the respective offences, even with Houston missing a couple of its middle-of-the-order bats.
Beyond Tuesday’s bullpen loss, Los Angeles is generally a weaker team when it comes to relief pitching. They are 20th in xFIP from the ‘pen since the start of June. Houston is third.
Ohtani’s starts are the Angels’ best shot at wins, as recent history shows. It’s impossible to overstate how much of a rut this team is in, though, particularly when compared to the winning machine that is the Houston Astros.
Despite a difficult outing a few days ago, we expect Javier to put Houston in a position to win. Ohtani might only give up a run or two, but the Astros’ offence can get to the bullpen. We’re taking the road team to claim a series win.
- Selection: Houston Astros Moneyline
- Best Odds: 2.05 (Bet365)
- Stakes: 5/10
Odds as of 12:30 pm July 13th, 2022. Odds may now differ.
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