Friday, July 22, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Matt Shoemaker vs. Lance McCullers

The Los Angeles Angels visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Matt Shoemaker for the Angels and Lance McCullers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Los Angeles at +136 and Houston at -146. The over/under was set at 8. The Angels have a 40-53-3 over/under record and a 45-51-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Astros are 42-53-0 against the run line and have a 42-48-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Angels head into this matchup with a 43-52 record, including 21-26 on the road. Starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker has a 5-9 record with an earned run average of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.26. He has 110 strikeouts over his 106 innings pitched and he has given up 112 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.35. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.93 and they have given up 310 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen while being struck out 242 times and walking 110 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 7.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.55 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.53. The Angels pitchers have collectively given up 878 base hits and 408 earned runs. They have allowed 125 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 295 batters and struck out 679. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.40 and their FIP as a unit is 4.64.

As a team, Los Angeles is batting .244, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Angels hold a .395 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.24 hits per game. Kole Calhoun comes into this game hitting .284 and his on-base percentage is at .361. He has 101 hits this season along with 61 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He's struck out 69 times and has walked 41 times. Mike Trout is hitting .320 and he has an on-base percentage of .425. He has totaled 109 hits so far while scoring 75 runs and he's driven in 62. He has walked 62 times and has struck out 73 times. The Angels have 861 hits, including 171 doubles and 92 home runs. They've stolen 38 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Los Angeles has walked 282 times this season and they've struck out 551 times as a unit. They've left 621 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.66 runs per contest and have scored a total of 443 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 28-19 home record and a 51-44 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.61, Lance McCullers has a 4-4 record and a 1.64 WHIP. He has 80 strikeouts over the 62.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 64 hits. He has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.83. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.12 and they have given up 275 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 337 times and walking 76 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.35 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.81. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 853 base knocks and 366 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 95 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 270 hitters and struck out 804. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.73.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .237 average at home. The Astros hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.38 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .266 and he has an OBP of .363. He has 92 hits this year along with 48 runs scored and 62 RBI. He's struck out 89 times and has walked on 49 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .357 and he has an OBP of .427. He has collected 133 hits so far while he's scored 73 runs and drove in 54. He has earned a walk 44 times and has punched out 40 times. The Astros as a unit have 796 base hits, including 169 doubles and 118 homers. They have 74 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 26 times. Houston as a team has walked 356 times this year and they have struck out 878 times. They've had 658 men left on base and have an OPS of .740. They score 4.53 runs per game and have totaled 430 runs so far this season.

Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Angels are 40-53-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Angels are 45-51-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 42-48-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 42-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Los Angeles Angels

07/20/16 P Nick Tropeano Elbow 15-day DL (7/19)
07/19/16 2B Cliff Pennington Hamstring 60-day DL (6/1)
07/19/16 C Geovany Soto Knee 15-day DL (7/16)
07/09/16 1B C.J. Cron Hand 15-day DL (7/8)
07/06/16 LF Shane Robinson Ankle 15-day DL (7/6)
06/14/16 P Cory Rasmus Groin 60-day DL (6/14)
05/10/16 P Garrett Richards Elbow 60-day DL (5/2)
05/02/16 LF Craig Gentry Back 60-day DL (4/26)
04/06/16 P Andrew Heaney Elbow 60-day DL (4/4), out for season
04/03/16 P C.J. Wilson Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25), out for season

Houston Astros

07/21/16 DH Evan Gattis Hand injured last game, "?" Friday vs. Los Angeles Angels

Josh's Pick: Take the Angels

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