Friday, September 9, 2016
Angel Stadium
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Tyler Skaggs
The Texas Rangers head to Angel Stadium on Friday to take on the Los Angeles Angels. The probable pitchers are Yu Darvish for the Rangers and Tyler Skaggs for the Angels. The opening line for this game has Texas at -132 and Los Angeles at +122. The over/under is 8. The Rangers have a 71-61-8 over/under mark and a 75-65-0 run line record, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Angels are 68-71-0 against the run line and have a 62-72-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.
The Rangers head into this game with a 83-57 record, and they are 36-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a 5-4 record with an ERA of 3.45 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 94 strikeouts during his 75.2 innings pitched and he has given up 66 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.42. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.81 and they have allowed 460 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the pen while they've been struck out 365 times and walked 165 times this year. As a unit, Texas has given up 9.09 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.1 hitters per nine. They are 21st in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.43. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 1,258 base hits and 613 earned runs. They have allowed 175 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 464 batters and struck out 982. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.64.
As a team, Texas is hitting .265, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .249 average on the road. The Rangers have a .438 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .325 which is good for 15th in the league. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.04 hits per contest. Ian Desmond comes into this game hitting .289 and his on-base percentage is at .338. He has 160 hits this season along with 99 runs scored and 81 runs batted in. He's struck out 143 times and has walked 38 times. Adrian Beltre is hitting .291 and he has an on-base percentage of .353. He has totaled 148 hits so far while scoring 79 runs and he's driven in 92. He has walked 45 times and has struck out 58 times. The Rangers have 1,265 hits, including 220 doubles and 188 home runs. They've stolen 82 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Texas has walked 381 times this season and they've struck out 1,049 times as a unit. They've left 892 men on base and have a team OPS of .763. They score 4.87 runs per contest and have scored a total of 682 runs so far this year.
Los Angeles comes into this game with a 32-33 home mark and a 62-77 overall record. With an ERA of 4.71, Tyler Skaggs has a 3-3 record and a 1.50 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 42 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 46 hits. He has allowed 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.06. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 452 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Angels bullpen while being struck out 380 times and walking 162 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 7.78 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.27 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.75. The Angels pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,285 base knocks and 604 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 182 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a staff has walked 431 hitters and struck out 977. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.67.
As a team, they are batting .251, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Angels hold a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.54 hits per contest. Yunel Escobar comes into this matchup batting .320 and he has an OBP of .371. He has 141 hits this year along with 59 runs scored and 34 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 35 occasions. Mike Trout is hitting .323 and he has an OBP of .442. He has collected 153 hits so far while he's scored 109 runs and drove in 88. He has earned a walk 96 times and has punched out 116 times. The Angels as a unit have 1,239 base hits, including 235 doubles and 142 homers. They have 52 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 28 times. Los Angeles as a team has walked 396 times this year and they have struck out 839 times. They've had 884 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They score 4.51 runs per game and have totaled 627 runs so far this season.
Texas Rangers Betting Trends
The Texas Rangers are 71-61-8 against the over/under so far this season
The Texas Rangers are 75-65-0 against the run line so far this season
Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends
The Los Angeles Angels are 62-72-5 against the over/under so far this season
The Los Angeles Angels are 68-71-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Texas Rangers
09/08/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22); expected to be activated & start Sunday
08/27/16 P Jeremy Jeffress Suspension placed on restricted list
08/24/16 P Shawn Tolleson Back 60-day DL (8/23)
08/18/16 P Lucas Harrell Groin 15-day DL (8/17)
08/15/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Forearm 15-day DL (8/15)
07/20/16 DH Prince Fielder Neck 15-day DL (7/19), out for season
Los Angeles Angels
09/08/16 3B Yunel Escobar Wrist "?" Friday vs. Texas Rangers
09/06/16 P Matt Shoemaker Head 15-day DL (9/5), out for season
09/05/16 P Huston Street Knee 60-day DL (8/2); out for season
08/18/16 C Geovany Soto Knee 15-day DL (8/15)
08/10/16 P Cam Bedrosia Finger 15-day DL (8/4)
07/20/16 P Nick Tropeano Elbow 60-day DL (7/19)
06/14/16 P Cory Rasmus Groin 60-day DL (6/14)
05/10/16 P Garrett Richards Elbow 60-day DL (5/2)
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
Tony's Pick: Take the Angels
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Tony Sink
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks