The Tampa Bay Rays were just no-hit by Reid Detmers in last night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, and what is their reward for that? A date with Shohei Ohtani.
The reigning American League MVP has put together three electric starts in a row but the Rays will counter Ohtani with an electric starter of their own in Shane McClanahan, who has been racking up strikeouts in bunches. Which starter gives their team the MLB betting edge?
Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Rays vs. Angels on Wednesday, May 11.
Rays vs Angels odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Angels opened this American League matchup as -120 home favorites and have seen the early action, moving the line to -130. The total hit the board at 7.0 with that number juiced to the Under as of Wednesday afternoon.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Rays vs Angels predictions
Picks made on 5/11/2022 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Rays vs Angels game info
• Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
• Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022
• First pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET
• TV: FS1
Rays vs Angels betting preview
Starting pitchers
Shane McClanahan (2-2, 3.06 ERA): The 25-year-old southpaw has become one of the best strikeout artists in baseball this season, punching out 13.1 batters per nine innings. Oh, he also hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start this season.
Shohei Ohtani (3-2, 3.08 ERA): Speaking of strikeouts, Ohtani will probably keep adding to his trophy case if he keeps pitching like this. The right-hander has allowed just two earned runs on 12 hits while striking out 27 over his last 18 innings pitched.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Rays: Manuel Margot RF (Questionable).
Angels: Taylor Wade RF (Questionable), Matt Duffy 2B (Questionable), David Fletcher SS (Out), Max Stassi C (Out), Austin Warren RP (Out), Archie Bradley RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 7-0 in Shane McClanahan's last seven starts when listed as an underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Angels
Rays vs Angels picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
So, what do the Angels have for an encore after Reid Detmer's impressive no-hitter last night? How about handing the ball to the American League MVP Shohei Ohtani.
As noted, Ohtani is going through a very impressive run over his last three starts. He has recorded 11 or more strikeouts in two of those three starts and is doing an excellent job of creating soft contact by mixing his pitches well. As a result, he has an expected ERA of 2.55 and is limiting opponents to an expected batting average of .238.
Tonight, he faces a Rays team that has been solid when facing right-handers this season but has the third-worst strikeout rate when facing righties. And, they could be without the red-hot Manuel Margot, after it appears he hurt his hamstring in Game 1 of this series.
The Rays counter Ohtani by putting their best foot forward when they hand the ball to their young ace in Shane McClanahan. The lefty has been racking up the strikeouts better than most this season. He leads the AL in strikeouts with 47 in 32 1-3 innings pitched. He also has a solid xERA of 3.02 while limiting opponents to an xBA of .220.
That said, the Halos will be the toughest lineup he has faced this season by a fairly wide margin. The Angels rank fourth in batting average and fifth in OPS when facing left-handed pitching this season.
This pitching matchup is a great one but the Angels have the better offense and their bullpen has been debatably as good as the Rays this season. We’re leaning towards laying the short chalk with Ohtani on the mound in this one.
Prediction: Angels moneyline (-120 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
With the pitching matchup we’ve got in this one, you can probably expect which way we are leaning when it comes to the total. What more can be said about these guys we haven’t said already?
Well, in two starts against the Angels last season, McClanahan allowed just three earned runs on six hits while striking out 12 over 10 innings of work. Ohtani held the Rays scoreless on one hit over five innings while striking out seven in his lone start against them last year.
Bet on pitching to be the story in this one and take the Under even on this low number.
Prediction: Under 7 (-120 at DraftKings)
Best bet
I wanted to take the Under first-five innings in this matchup but the number is either 3.0, or the 3.5 is juiced way too high. In that case, we’re just going to keep it simple and take Ohtani to go Over his strikeout total at nice plus money.
Ohtani has gone Over this number in three of his last five starts and has punched out 11 or more in two of his last three and is facing a Rays lineup that strikes at the third-highest rate when facing right-handed pitching this season.
Pick: Shohei Ohtani Over 7.5 strikeouts (+120 at DraftKings)
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