Winners of seven out of their last eight contests, the Houston Astros are one game shy of the .500 mark. They take on the Los Angeles Angels once more on Wednesday night as this series continues in Anaheim at 9:38 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive in with a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s Astros vs. Angels game courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Angels prediction, preview
The Astros remain two games out of the AL West lead, but they’re surely enthused to be back near the .500 mark at 54-55. Now, a -44 run differential doesn’t look great, but they’ve now won seven of their last eight contests and have built some positive momentum coming out of the All-Star break. , starting to build some positive momentum. The Angels aren’t so fortunate; they’re only 42-66 with a run differential of -67. That places them at the bottom of both the division and the AL standings.
Houston just got Ronel Blanco back from Tommy John surgery a couple weeks ago, and tonight, RHP Hayden Wesneski makes his first start in 15 months after rehabbing the same injury. One of the pieces of the Kyle Tucker trade, he had a 3.86 ER for the Cubs in 2024 before racking up a 4.50 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 32.0 IP for the Astros last year. The club’s bullpen also ranks 18th in ERA at 4.17, but they’re notably third in the stat since May 1 at 3.08 with a 1.14 WHIP and a 16.1% K-BB% over the same span.
Los Angeles trots out RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-3). He’s truly struggled through his nine starts with an 8.54 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP, sky-high marks over his 39.0 IP. He also has 30 strikeouts for a K% of just 16.1%, with a 10.2% BB% as well. The Angels’ relievers have a 4.38 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP and 13.2% K-BB%. Much like their opponent, their ERA since May 1 is more respectable with a 3.85 mark that ranks 15th.
The Astros’ bats moved up to a .726 OPS last night that ranks 14th, averaging 4.57 runs per game. Houston’s power prowess certainly impresses, sitting fourth in ISO (.170) and third in home runs (149) – fueled in no small part by Yordan Alvarez and his MLB-leading homer tally. Against right-handers, Houston slashes .243/.318/.416 with a .734 OPS.
The Angels slot in at 24th with a .701 OPS, also posting 4.26 runs per game. The plate process leaves room for significant improvement with an MLB-worst 25.1% K% at the dish, something opponents certainly key on. They do have the 25th-ranked ISO (.147) and 21st-most homers (116). Hitting right-handers is a problem as well, slashing just .239/.314/.381 with a .695 OPS.
Astros vs. Angels pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Astros as a -131 Moneyline favorite on the road, with the Angels listed as +109 underdogs to win outright at home. The run total sits at 9.5 for this one.
Rodriguez has allowed at least two earned runs in eight of his nine starts, giving up three or more in seven of his nine appearances as well. It’s somewhat surprising to see the over/under on the stat come in with a line of just 2.5 this evening given that context, but regardless, there’s no way I consider anything other than a prop bet fading him here. The -145 odds aren’t stellar by any means on the over for earned runs, but with a first-percentile hard-hit rate and average exit velocity as well as a 12th-percentile barrel rate, Houston should tee off on him. Over 10.5 hits + walks + earned runs for Rodriguez also looks nice at -113, but you really can’t go wrong with any of his overs given the track record and matchup.
