Hiram Moreno
The last month of the MLB regular season has begun, and the teams that will be present in Major League Baseball in October are beginning to be defined. And this clash between Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels pits two franchises with very different realities in the season against each other: one of them having its place virtually guaranteed, while the other is already thinking about next year.
Stay with us at JefeBet for more information, analysis, and odds on this divisional matchup that looks close on paper.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels MLB Game 1 on September 2, 2022
- Where: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California.
- When: Friday, September 2, 2022, 9:38 p.m. ET.
Betting on the Houston Astros
- Season record: 84-47.
- Runline (-1.5): +105.
- Moneyline: -161.
- Over/Under: 8.
This season, the Astros once again shed important pieces of their roster, with Carlos Correa being one of them,and yet the team has managed not only to remain competitive,but has also established itself as a serious candidate to win the World Series by currently having the best record in the American League.
The Texas team will start this series on the right foot by winning its last three games, including a home sweep of the Texas Rangers. Despite those positive results, the Astros have not scored more than five runs in their last five games, although they managed to balance this by allowing three or fewer runs in each of them (in series against Baltimore and Texas).
This is no surprise, as Houston boasts the second-best collective ERA in MLB at 3.03 and the third-best collective WHIP at 1.11, and their chances of maintaining those numbers are high with Lance McCullers Jr. as a starter, who has allowed no runs in two of his three starts this season.
Starting pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 1.69 ERA, 1.44 WHIP).
Injured: Josh James (Back muscle, 60 days), Ryan Pressly (Neck, 15 days), Blake Taylor (Elbow, 60 days), Justin Verlander (Calf, 15 days), Jason Castro (Knee, 60 days), Martin Maldonado (Hand, day-to-day), Michael Brantley (Shoulder, 60 days), Chas McCormick (Finger, day-to-day), Yordan Alvarez (Hand, day-to-day), Aledmys Diaz (Groin, 10 days).
Betting on the Los Angeles Angels
- Season record: 57-74.
- Runline (+1.5): -128.
- Moneyline: +135.
- Over/Under: 8.
New campaign, new disappointment in Anaheim, since Los Angeles Angels have virtually no chance of advancing to the postseason for the eighth consecutive season despite having big names on its roster,which have not spent much time together on the diamond due to injuries that have affected the team.
Apart from this, their fans have reason to be happy these days, since the Angels come into this series having won in five of their last six games,which were not exactly against lesser opponents, since they were against the Blue Jays and Yankees, scoring an average of 5.5 runs per game.
This is good news considering the Angels offense has been the third worst in MLB in batting average (.228). In addition, their chances of adding another victory are high considering that they will have Reid Detmers, who has been one of their starters on the mound this season, allowing an average of 1.2 runs per game in his eight appearances since July.
Starting pitcher: Reid Detmers (5-4, 3.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP).
Injured: Anthony Rendon (Wrist, 60 days), Archie Bradley (Elbow, 60 days), Griffin Canning (Back, 60 days), Michael Lorenzen (Shoulder, 60 days), Chris Rodriguez (Shoulder, 60 days), Jared Walsh (Shoulder, 60 days), Mickey Moniak (Finger, 10 days).
JefeBet Prediction
The Angels may have scored quite a few runs in their last few games, but this time the story could be different as they will be playing against a team with a lot of quality pitching, although it’s worth remembering that the only opening in which McCullers Jr. allowed runs in this campaign was playing as a visitor (Atlanta, 7 hits and 3 runs allowed in 5.0 innings).
Still, we believe McCullers and the Astros bullpen are good enough to keep the Angels’ offense in check, although their large number of absences will likely make scoring runs a problem, which could lead to another eight-or-fewer run game, as was the case in seven of their last eight games.
Pick: Under 8.
