The Los Angeles Angels (2-5) face the Houston Astros (3-3) Friday at 9:10 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. We analyze the Astros-Angels betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.
Astros at Angels: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. at RHP Matt Andriese
McCullers won his 2020 debut in a quality start (six innings pitched with two earned runs allowed) against the Seattle Mariners on July 25. The Astros won 7-2.
Andriese has appeared in one game in 2020, going 5 2/3 innings in a 6-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on July 26. This start is Andriese’s first since 2018 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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Astros at Angels: Key injuries
Visit sportsdata.usatoday.com to track all MLB injuries leading up to game time.
Astros
- OF Yordan Alvarez (knee) out
- OF George Springer (knee) questionable
- SP Justin Verlander (forearm) out
- RP Brad Peacock (shoulder) out
Angels
- RP Justin Anderson (elbow) out
- SS Andrelton Simmons (ankle) out
- CF Mike Trout (personal) out
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Astros at Angels: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:45 p.m. ET
Prediction
Astros 12, Angels 4
Moneyline (ML)
It could be a long evening for the Angels (+155). The Astros (-176) are such big favorites because they are a World Series contender that has owned Los Angeles over recent seasons. Houston is 27-11 over the last two seasons against the Angels.
Though stakes are higher in this COVID-19-altered 60-game regular season, I still don’t like laying (-176) to bet a favorite in the regular season. Houston is 3-3 and needs to beat up on bad teams, which, until further notice, the Angels are still bad.
I am going to PASS on the MONEYLINE in favor of a run line play.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
This might be a little nitty, however, I am only PLAYING ASTROS (-1.5, -115) on the run line. I took a hard gander at the Astros’ alternate run lines of (-2.5, +125) and (-3.5, +180). I passed on those because I think the payouts should be higher than those BetMGM prices.
New to sports betting? A $115 bet on the Astros (-1.5, -115) earns a $100 profit if Houston wins by two or more runs.
Over/Under (O/U)
Let’s not overthink this and play the single-digit OVER 9.5 (-110). There’s a chance this game is so lopsided the only help we’ll get for the Over could be the Astros offense.
The Over is 6-2 in the last eight Astros-Angels games. Also, it’s early but their combined Over/Under record in AL West games is 8-2-1 in 2020. Another interesting trend I found was the Over is 4-0-1 in McCullers’ last five starts with the total set at 9.0-10.5.
BET OVER 9.5 (-110).
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