The Houston Astros are fighting for their playoff lives heading into the final weekend of the regular season, all while the Los Angeles Angels are cemented into last place in the AL West. Jason Alexander is set to take the mound for Houston, while Kyle Hendricks could be making the final start of his MLB career.
The Astros are -138 moneyline and -1.5 run line favorites. The run total is set at nine. Here is a preview of the Friday night showdown at Angel Stadium featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Angels prediction, preview
Houston notched a much-needed win over the Athletics on Thursday, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process. Still, that slump took the Astros from first place in the AL West to one game back in the AL Wild Card race. The Astros no longer control their own destiny, needing wins plus help elsewhere to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2016.
With the stakes as high as they’ve been all year, Houston is leaning on a 32-year-old swingman. Alexander got shelled in his second start with the Astros, giving up 11 hits, two walks and five earned runs in 6.0 innings on July 24. He was even worse in his most recent start, allowing seven hits, one walk and seven earned runs in 1.1 innings on Sunday. Across the nine intervening appearances, however, the righty went 3-0 with a 2.32 ERA and 1.053 WHIP.
Opposite to Alexander is Hendricks, who has started 30 games in the lead-up to his 36th birthday. He is 8-10 with a 4.79 ERA, 1.284 WHIP and 1.6 WAR this season. Four of his last five appearances have been quality starts, a hot streak that started against the Astros on Aug. 30. He allowed seven hits, zero walks and one earned run in 6.0 innings that night in Houston. Even including the 10 hits and nine earned runs he gave up versus the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 14, Hendricks has a 3.68 ERA and 1.125 WHIP over his last five games.
Hendricks is a pending free agent who has yet to make a decision on retirement. His lone campaign with the Angels has certainly been less eventful than his 11-year tenure with the Chicago Cubs, but he could pull out all the stops to finish on a high note regardless.
Astros vs. Angels pick, best bet
Best Bet: Houston Astros Run Line -1.5 (+117)
Alexander has been surprisingly effective since joining the Astros, outside of two outliers. Those two duds came against an A’s team that he started the season with and a red-hot Mariners squad. The Angels are averaging 2.75 runs per game, so he should be able to get back on track against them. Houston has no choice but to go all out with its relievers as well, turning loose a bullpen that ranks top-10 in ERA across MLB.
The Astros also broke out with an 11-run explosion on Thursday, showing that their bats can wake up when it matters most. And while Hendricks putting a bow on his career would be a nice story, six different Astros batters have a lifetime OPS of at least 1.000 against him. Houston scored seven and eight runs, respectively, the first two times they faced Hendricks in 2025.
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