During a loaded 15-game Saturday slate of MLB action, the Los Angeles Angels will face off against the Texas Rangers.
These teams opened the series last night, with the Rangers winning 2-1 in 10 innings. They also faced off less than two weeks ago, in which the Angels took three of the four games. Cody Bradford and Ryan Johnson will take the ball for their respective teams tonight.
Looking at the odds, the Rangers enter as -160 favorites and hold +123 odds on the -1.5 Run Line on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Angels are +149 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 8 runs.
Angels at Rangers prediction, preview
The Los Angeles Angels have slipped to 51-78 on the season, which marks the third-worst record in all of baseball. They have looked more encouraging of late, winning six of their past 10. On the season overall, the Angels have gone 65-64 to the run line, and the run total is 53-75-1 to the over/under.
Ryan Johnson will take the ball for the Angels tonight, marking his 13th start and 16th appearance of the season. The 23-year-old enters with a 2-7 record, a 6.41 ERA, a 1.541 WHIP, 16 home runs allowed, and 47 strikeouts tallied across 60.1 innings pitched. He has allowed at least one home run in nine straight starts, although he has three consecutive starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed. Johnson has faced off with this Rangers lineup in 16 at-bats in his career, allowing three hits and recording six strikeouts in these opportunities.
Looking at the offensive production, the Angels are posting collective slash lines of .235/.310/.374 with a .684 OPS. Los Angeles ranks 24th in hits, 24th in runs, 26th in home runs, and has tallied the third-most strikeouts in the league. Zach Neto leads the team with 115 hits, a team-high 21 home runs and 61 RBI. Mike Trout adds 20 home runs and 45 RBI, while Oswald Peraza, Vaughn Grissom and Nolan Schanuel also play notable roles.
The Texas Rangers enter with a 64-65 record on the season. They sit one game behind the Houston Astros for the top spot in the American League West and hold a one-game lead for the final Wild Card seed. Texas picked up a victory last night in the series opener, and have won three of its past four. On the season, the Rangers have gone 59-70 to the run line, and the run total is 62-61-6 to the over/under.
Cody Bradford will be making the start for the Rangers, marking just his fourth of the season. He missed the entirety of the 2025 MLB season due to a left elbow issue which required surgery and a lengthy recovery process. Bradford suffered a setback and will likely be handled carefully for the remainder of the year, as 81 pitches is the most he has thrown in a start thus far. The 28-year-old is posting a 2.93 ERA and has allowed just five total earned runs across his three starts, including a scoreless debut over 4.1 innings pitched. He has faced the Angels in 33 at-bats in his career, allowing nine hits and recording just two strikeouts.
Looking at the production at the plate, the Rangers are slashing a collective .242/.315/.494 with a .708 OPS. They rank 21st in hits, 27th in runs, 19th in home runs and 10th in strikeouts. Brandon Nimmo leads the team with 125 hits, 13 home runs and 48 RBI. Ezequiel Duran adds 113 hits, 13 home runs, and 64 RBI, while Jake Burger has also eclipsed 100 hits on the season with 105, along with 21 home runs and a team-high 73 RBI. Joc Pederson leads the team with 22 home runs, while Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter also play key roles.
Angels at Rangers pick, best bet
There have been some encouraging strides from Ryan Johnson in the later stages of the season. But the right-hander has still allowed runs at a high rate this season, and his tendency to allow home runs is a weakness that Texas could exploit. Cody Bradford is far from a sure thing on the mound for the Rangers, given his injury issues and lack of opportunities since returning. But Bradford has been a key contributor on this Texas roster, including throwing 7.2 innings in the postseason across the 2023 World Series win.
If Texas is serious about being any sort of postseason threat, these are the types of games they must capitalize on. They are in a tight race for both the division and Wild Card, and beating up on inferior opponents is necessary for them to maintain their ground. Even with the Angels showing a few sparks in recent games, they have been among the bottom feeders of the MLB just about all season.
The home team has won each of the past four games between the Angels and Rangers. Los Angeles has also lost seven of their last eight matchups at Globe Life Field against Rangers teams with a winning record, and the Angels have failed to cover the run line in each of their last Saturday games as underdogs.
Bradford is still finding his stride, but has shined in the biggest moments before and has earned a level of trust that Johnson does not deserve. Expect Texas to win the battle between the starting pitchers and for the Rangers’ lineup to provide more of a threat throughout. Expect the bats to come alive more than was the case yesterday and for Johnson’s struggles to keep the ball in the ballpark to pave the way for a comfortable Rangers’ win.
Best bet: Texas Rangers -1.5 (+123)
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