The Los Angeles Angels haven’t finished over .500 since 2015, when Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, David Freese, and Kole Calhoun led the Angels to an 85-77 record. At that time, Torii Hunter was still a major leaguer, Barack Obama was still President, and the AirPods didn’t exist yet.
10 years later, Los Angeles is 45-47, and although it has the league’s 12th-hardest remaining strength of schedule, it is 28-22 over its last 50 games. There’s a real chance that the Angels could finally break their streak of futility this season.
They’ve already clinched at least a split of their series with the Texas Rangers, but they will go for an outright series win tonight at 9:38 p.m. ET. Jack Kochanowicz will take the mound for the Angels, while the Rangers will have Patrick Corbin toe the rubber.
Let’s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels prediction, preview
Kochanowicz has hit a sophomore slump after a fairly promising rookie year, with a 5.42 ERA in his 18 starts and, more worryingly, a 5.58 FIP figure. In theory, the 24-year-old has the tools, given that he’s six-foot-seven and throws a 96-MPH sinker, but he hasn’t been able to put it together quite yet, ranking in the sixth percentile in average exit velocity, the fifth percentile in strikeout rate, and the 19th in walk rate. He also hasn’t pitched into the seventh inning since May 26 or given up fewer than two earned runs since May 16. That’s not to say he can’t put it together against a Texas offense that has struggled for much of the season, but the visitors should see it as an opportunity.
Corbin’s struggles over the last few seasons have been more widely-publicized, but at least he’s enjoyed somewhat of a bounce-back season after leading the MLB in losses in 2021, 2022, and 2023 and in hits and earned runs thrice. This season, he has a 4.18 ERA in his 88.1 innings and is still capable of throwing 90 or more pitches on four days’ rest, even at the age of 35. His chase rate is in the league’s top quartile, and one season after his sinker was the league’s worst pitch by run value, it has been above-average so far in 2025. He’s been consistently mediocre, allowing either two or three earned runs in 12 of his 16 starts.
With Corbin having the slight advantage in the starting pitching battle and Los Angeles’ offense being somewhat better than the Rangers’, this game might hinge on how deep into the game Kochanowicz and Corbin can go. This season, Texas’ bullpen has posted a 3.40 ERA, the fifth-best mark in the league, while the Angels have had the third-worst relievers, so the more Los Angeles can get out of its starter, the more likely that its talented hitters, like a newly in-form Trout and rising star Zach Neto, will be enough. The Angels haven’t had a day off since June 30, so the Rangers have the rest advantage.
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels pick, best bet
Best Bet: Texas Rangers Moneyline (-106)
Texas has had the better offense this month, scoring double-digit runs twice this series and posting an .804 OPS through the first seven games of July. Kochanowicz is also more prone to proper blow-ups than Corbin is.
Strong Lean: Over 10 Runs (-102)
Neither Kochanowicz nor Corbin is a particularly good pitcher, and bats have been alive all series, all three going over the total. The over is 48-43-1 in Los Angeles’ games this season, the fifth-best of any AL team.
