Thursday, April 7, 2016

Angel Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Derek Holland vs. Hector Santiago

The Texas Rangers visit Angel Stadium on Thursday to play the Los Angeles Angels. The probable starters are Derek Holland for the Rangers and Hector Santiago for the Angels. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +106 and Los Angeles at -116. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers had a 75-81-11 over/under record last season and a 98-69-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 59% of the time. The Angels were 75-92-0 against the run line and had a 80-82-5 over/under record. They covered the spread 45% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup coming off a 88 - 74 season, including 45-36 on the road. Starting pitcher Derek Holland had a 4 - 3 record with an earned run average of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.30. He had 41 strikeouts over his 58.2 innings pitched and he also gave up 59 hits over that time period. He allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 5.3. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.12 and they gave up 475 base hits on the year. Teams hit .245 against the bullpen while being struck out 457 times and walking 201 times last season. As a team, Texas allowed 9.06 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.82 batters per nine. They were 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.24. The Rangers pitchers collectively gave up 1,459 base hits and 680 earned runs last year. They allowed 171 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff walked 508 batters and struck out 1,095. They walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit was 4.34.

As a team, Texas batted .256, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .240 average away from home. The Rangers held a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which was good for 8th in baseball. They ranked 10th in baseball with 8.74 hits per game. Shin-Soo Choo hit .276 last season and his on-base percentage was at .375. He had 153 hits last season along with 94 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He struck out 147 times and walked 76 times. Prince Fielder hit .305 and he had an on-base percentage of .378 last year. He totaled 187 hits while scoring 78 runs and he drove in 98. He walked 64 times and struck out 88 times. The Rangers had 1,419 hits, including 279 doubles, 32 triples, and 172 home runs. They stole 101 bases while they were thrown out stealing 39 times. Texas walked 503 times last season and they struck out 1,233 times as a unit. They left 1,130 men on base and had a team OPS of .739. They scored 4.64 runs per contest and scored a total of 751 runs last season.

Los Angeles comes into this matchup after having a 49-32 home record and a 85 - 77 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 3.59, Hector Santiago will come into this game after holding a 9 - 9 record and a 1.26 WHIP. He had 162 strikeouts over the 180.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 156 hits. He allowed 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.77. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.86 and they gave up 458 base hits last year. Teams hit .245 against the Angels bullpen while being struck out 452 times and walking 163 times last season. As a team, Los Angeles allowed 8.16 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine. They were 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.49. The Angels pitchers as a team surrendered 1,355 base knocks and 630 earned runs last season. They gave up 166 home runs last year and they gave up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a staff walked 466 hitters and struck out 1,221. They gave up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.26 while their FIP as a staff was 4.06.

As a team, they hit .250, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Angels held a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which was good for 5th in baseball. They ranked 26th in baseball with 8.3 hits per contest. Mike Trout batted .299 last season and he had an OBP of .402. He had 172 hits last year along with 104 runs scored and 90 RBI. He struck out 158 times and walked on 92 occasions. Albert Pujols hit .244 and he had an OBP of .307. He collected 147 hits last year while he scored 85 runs and drove in 95. He earned a walk 50 times and punched out 72 times. The Angels as a unit had 1,331 base hits last year, including 243 doubles, 21 triples, and 176 homers. They had 52 stolen bases while they were thrown out 34 times. Los Angeles as a team walked 435 times last year and they struck out 1,150 times. They had 1,013 men left on base and had an OPS of .702. They scored 4.08 runs per game and totaled 661 runs last season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers were 75-81-11 against the over/under last season

The Texas Rangers were 98-69-0 against the run line last season

Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Angels were 80-82-5 against the over/under last season

The Los Angeles Angels were 75-92-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Luke Jackson Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/03/16 C Chris Gimenez Ankle Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/27)
04/03/16 P Yu Darvish Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Los Angeles Angels

04/03/16 P C.J. Wilson Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/01/16 P Tyler Skaggs Elbow out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers

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