The Houston Astros will wrap up their three-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels this evening. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. Cristian Javier (7-1, 4.34 ERA) will start for the ‘Stros while Tyler Anderson (4-2, 5.25 ERA) will step on the hill for the Halos.
Houston enters as a -130 favorite on the moneyline over at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Los Angeles is a +110 underdog. The run total is set at 10.
Astros-Angels picks: Sunday, July 16
Injury report
Astros
Day-To-Day: SP Framber Valdez (undisclosed)
Out: 2B Jose Altuve (oblique), OF Yordan Alvarez (oblique), SP Jose Urquidy (shoulder), DH Michael Brantley (shoulder), SP Lance McCullers (forearm)
Angels
Day-To-Day: 3B Anthony Rendon (shin), OF Taylor Ward (groin)
Out: OF Mike Trout (wrist), SS Zach Neto (oblique), 2B Brandon Drury (shoulder), RP Matt Moore (oblique), C Max Stassi (personal/hip), RP Ben Joyce (elbow), C Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder)
Starting pitchers
Cristian Javier vs. Tyler Anderson
Javier hit a wall right before the All-Star break and is hoping to get back on track as the second half of the season unfolds. He was rocked for 21 hits and 18 earned runs in his previous three starts, all taking place in the span of just 10.2 innings. He fortunately had plenty of run support, as the Astros ended up winning all three of those outings. Javier is sporting a 5.47 ERA on the road this season, so he’ll try to drop those numbers and put on a good performance this evening — he broke out last year as one of the game’s top young starters but has unable to regain that form.
Anderson is trying to get back into the win column as the Angels have ended up losing in his last three starts. His last start before the break came last Friday against the Dodgers, where he lasted just 4.1 innings and gave up three earned runs in the process. Hitters in the current Astros lineup are batting .407 against him and while it is a relatively small sample size, he’ll hope for a good showing this evening.
Over/Under pick
Both teams have lit up the scoreboard this series, combining for 37 runs through two games. With this being a clash of two starters that were looking vulnerable prior to the All-Star break, I’ll lean towards the over here.
Pick: Over 10
Moneyline pick
Houston let a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth slip away in last night’s outing, eventually falling 13-12 in extra innings. Knowing that they allowed that one to get away from them, I expect the ‘Stros to come out more focused tonight and leave Anaheim with a series victory.
Pick: Astros