In the late slate of Monday’s 12-game MLB action, the Houston Astros will open up a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Tatsuya Imai and Walbert Urena will be getting the starts for their respective squads tonight.
Looking at the odds, the Angels hold -109 odds of winning outright and -179 odds on the +1.5 run line on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Astros hold +148 odds on the -1.5 run line with the run total set at 8.5.
Astros at Angels prediction, preview
The Houston Astros enter with a 52-55 record on the season, sitting two games back from the lead in the American League West. They suffered a 12-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox yesterday, which snapped a five-game winning streak. On the season, the Astros have gone 53-54 to the run line, and the game total is 55-47-5 to the over/under.
Tatsuya Imai will take the ball for the Astros tonight, making his 15th start of the season. The 28-year-old enters with a 6-4 record, a 5.59 ERA, a 1.466 WHIP, nine home runs allowed and 71 strikeouts tallied across his 58 innings pitched. Imai is coming off an encouraging start in which he limited the Marlins to four hits and one earned run across six innings pitched. He also made his first start of the season against the Angels, allowing four earned runs in just 2.2 innings pitched back on March 29th.
Looking at the production at the plate, the Astros rank 14th in hits, 10th in runs, third in home runs and 19th in strikeouts. Yordan Alvarez leads the Astros and the entire American League with 123 hits along with an MLB-best 34 home runs and 77 RBIs, firmly in the mix for a triple crown. Christian Walker adds 20 home runs and 61 RBIs of his own, while Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena have all also launched double-digit home runs.
The Los Angeles Angels showed a spark to start the season, but they have slipped to 42-64 on the year. The Colorado Rockies are the only team with a worse record in the league. Los Angeles enters this matchup coming off a 4-3 win over the Giants yesterday, which snapped a three-game losing streak. On the season, the Angels have gone 53-53 to the run line, and the game total is 48-57-1 to the over/under.
Walbert Urena will be on the mound for the Angels tonight. This will mark his 19th appearance and 17th start of the season. Urena enters with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.305 WHIP, just five home runs allowed and 83 strikeouts across 87.1 innings pitched. The 22-year-old has held opponents to one or fewer earned runs allowed in three straight starts. Urena has faced off with this Astros lineup in 22 at-bats this season, limiting them to slash lines of .182/.379/.227 with eight strikeouts in these opportunities.
Looking at the offensive production, the Angels rank 17th in hits, 19th in runs, 21st in home runs and have the second-most strikeouts in the MLB. Jo Adell leads the team with 98 hits, along with 16 home runs and 59 RBIs. Zach Neto adds 95 hits of his own, along with a team-high 19 home runs and 46 RBIs. Mike Trout adds 18 home runs and 40 RBIs, while Jorge Soler is the lone other player with more than 10 home runs. Oswald Peraza, Vaughn Grissom, Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe also play notable roles.
Astros at Angels pick, best bet
It was disappointing that the Angels have fizzled a bit from their strong start to the season, but this is a spot where I am all over them tonight. Walbert Urena has been largely excellent this season and has impressed in his opportunities against this Astros team. He has allowed one or fewer earned runs in three straight starts and 12 of his 18 appearances overall. The right-hander has allowed just four hits and tallied eight strikeouts against this Astros lineup, with one run conceded. Urena has allowed just five home runs this season, which is especially important against this home run-dependent Astros lineup.
In contrast, Tatsuya Imai has been concerning in his first season since taking the MLB leap. The former Japanese league standout has seen his ERA balloon to 5.59, and he has given up two or more earned runs in 10 of his 14 starts. He was lit up for four earned runs in just 2.2 innings pitched during the first matchup between these two teams. You can squint and give some reasons for belief in Imai improving in recent starts, but this is a more respectable Angels lineup than their record would indicate.
Imai has not been the only flaw in the starting pitching, and Houston has made it a habit of falling behind early. The Astros have trailed after three innings in each of their last five games as road favorites, and each of their last nine games under the same circumstances. Expect this to be the case tonight and for Los Angeles to have success in this favorable matchup. There has been enough reason for belief in Urena and the level he has performed at. Expect this pitching matchup to be the difference and for the Angels to pick up another win and avoid the worst record in the league for the time being.
Best bet: Los Angeles Angels Moneyline (-109)
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