Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros Prediction: Will Astros' Bats Light Up Reid Detmers, Angels?
The Houston Astros are set to take on the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in an AL clash. Can the Astros find success against Reid Detmers and the Angels? Ben Rajavuori provides his best betting pick for Angels vs. Astros.
Ben Rajavuori - May 20, 2024, 4:44 PM EDT
5 minLos Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros Prediction: Will Astros' Bats Light Up Reid Detmers, Angels?
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will kick off an inter-divisional three-game series from Minute Maid Park in Houston tonight. This is the first meeting of the season between the Astros and Angels and they will open up with Reid Detmers on the mound for the Angels and Framber Valdez on the mound for the Astros. What should we expect in tonight's series opener?
Angels vs. Astros DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: May 20, 2024
- Start Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: MLB Extra Innings
Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros Prediction
On the mound tonight for the Angels will be left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers. Detmers is 3-4 on the season with a 5.19 ERA. He has really been struggling to start May, as he is sporting a 9.77 ERA across his last three starts.
Starting on the other side will be Houston's left-hander Framber Valdez. Valdez is 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA, and has been on fire at home to start the season. He is 2-1 in May across three starts with a 3.26 ERA. He’s coming off his best outing of the season: seven shutout innings against Oakland in a 3-0 Astros win. Both starting pitchers will be at a disadvantage against the opposing lineups tonight because both the Angels and Astros have been crushing left-handed pitching. The Astros are fourth in the MLB with a .271 against left-handed pitching this year, while the Angels are fifth in the MLB with a .269 average against lefties this year.
The Angels have been especially hot the last two weeks, as they are sporting a .298 batting average against lefties over the past two weeks, which is second in the MLB. Neither team strikes out much against lefties, either, especially the Astros, who have just a 16.8% strikeout rate against left-handed pitching.
For tonight’s game, I’m going with the over in this spot. The over is sitting at just eight runs tonight because there are two pretty good pitchers on the mound, especially Valdez, who is sporting a sub-3.00 ERA this season. However, both lineups have been so good against left-handed pitching and neither bullpen has been very good either.
The Angels have the second-worst bullpen ERA in the MLB this season with a 5.03 team bullpen ERA. The Astros usually have a bullpen but there’s sitting in the middle of the season with a 4.00 ERA. I expect the Astros' potent lineup to get to Detmers here and for Valdez to even struggle a bit on his own. Once this game gets to the bullpens, this game should open up even more. I’m taking over at this great price and expecting fireworks in this game to start the week.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros Pick
Pick: Astros/Angels Over 8 (-102) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
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