Shohei Ohtani is arguably the most dynamic and exciting player in baseball right now. The two-way star has been exactly that — and more — for the Los Angeles Angels this year, slugging the second-most home runs and striking out batters at a ridiculous rate.
Angels vs Astros odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonAs of 5:30 p.m. ET, the Astros are out to -165 favorites at PointsBet USA, after opening -140 Monday evening. However, the Angels are taking a slim majority of tickets at 52 percent and a much larger share of cash at 77 percent. In fact, PointsBet's Wyatt Yearout said an Angels win is the book's top MLB liability tonight. The total is up a full run, from 8 (Over -115) to 9 (Under -120), with 81 percent of tickets/88 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAngels vs Astros betting preview
Starting pitchers
Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 2.41 ERA): Ohtani’s stuff is so filthy even he can’t control it. Even though he has an awesome 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings and batters are hitting just .113 off him, Ohtani still has a 1.37 WHIP, thanks to surrendering 9.2 walks per nine innings.
Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 3.58 ERA): While McCullers isn’t Ohtani, the right-hander has been a great presence in the Astros’ rotation. McCullers is pitching to a solid 1.16 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .172 batting average, and has recorded a quality start in each of his last three outings.
Weather
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Key injuries
Angels: Jose Iglesias SS (Questionable), Anthony Rendon 3B (Out), Chris Rodriguez RP (Out).
Astros: Enoli Paredes RP (Out), Pedro Baez RP (Out), Austin Pruitt RP (Out), Josh James RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 7-3 in the Angels last 10 games overall and is 6-0-1 in the Astros last seven. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Astros.
Moneyline pick
The Angels were slumping before taking two of three from the cross-town rival L.A. Dodgers. But can they carry that momentum into the series with the Astros, whose bats have come alive to help them win three of their last four?
While Ohtani has been a showstopper, this is an intriguing matchup against the Astros. As noted, while he strikes out batters at a rate that is among the best in the bigs, he does struggle with his control at times, and the Astros have one of the most patient lineups in baseball. Houston strikes out less than anyone in the MLB at just 7.18 times per game while ranking third in runs per game, batting average, and OPS.
The other issue with Ohtani starts is that all those walks can jack up his pitch count quite quickly, as he hasn’t pitched more than five innings in a start. Then he has to hand the ball to an Angels bullpen that ranks 27th in ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average.
With the Astros countering with a solid starter in McCullers, they are the side to back in this one.
PREDICTION: Astros (-145)
Over/Under pick
This game has two excellent starters but this total is a touch too low. We’ve already talked about how Houston can be the type of team that can give Ohtani problems—and has scored 28 runs in the last four games, with all four going Over.
Even though we don’t know yet if Ohtani is pulling double-duty, the Halos would be silly to not let him hit in this tough matchup. McCullers has been tough but the Angels rank first in the MLB when it comes to batting average against right-handers (.271) and are fifth in OPS while ranking in the Top 10 in scoring.
When you mix in an Astros bullpen that has been average at best, then there is good reason to like the Over in this matchup.
PREDICTION: Over 8 (-110)
Angels vs Astros betting card
- Astros ML (-145)
- Over 8 (-110)
Picks made on 5/10/2021 at 11:25 p.m. ET
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