The Angels won the most games in the Majors last season, but were upset in the playoffs by the Kansas City Royals. The Halos did not tweak their lineup much in the off-season, but the loss of 2B Howie Kendrick may be a big one.
After hitting a rough patch a couple weeks back the Angels have won 4 straight and while winning the AL West is a long shot they are only 2.5 games out of the Wild Card lead.
The Los Angeles Angels are easily the most disappointing team for me this year. This team was supposed to challenge Texas for American League supremacy but they have needed a hot streak lately just to up their record within breathing distance of .500 and third place Seattle.
The Angels are looking to build on their series opening win against Minnesota.
The Kansas City Royals are heading into this season with a great deal of optimism.
Sunday Night Baseball Betting – Angels vs Rangers Preview & Pick
Date: Sunday, August 28, 2011
Venue: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX
Broadcast: ESPN
Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Money Line: Texas -115
Over/Under: 8.5
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Los Angeles Angels (71-59 through August 25)
Jered Weaver (15-6, 2.03)
Talk about a perfect matchup for Sunday Night Baseball. Riding a six-game winning streak through Thursday night’s action, Angels climbed right back into the American League West hunt behind the Texas Rangers. The three-game weekend set between the two squads could make or break the season.
Jered Weaver will get the nod Sunday night at Texas. While he’s had the odd blip on the radar, he’s been a Cy Young contender all season long. He’s allowed one or zero earned runs in seven of his last 10 starts, so the dog days of August clearly aren’t slowing him down.
Weaver has already faced Texas four times this season, going 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA. He’s done a fine job against most of the Rangers’ top hitters in 2011, holding Nelson Cruz to a .200 average, Ian Kinsler to .133, Adrian Beltre to .200 and keeping Josh Hamilton hitless.
But boy, does Elvis Andrus ever own Weaver. He’s a whopping 10 for 14 (.714) against the Halos’ ace this year.
Texas Rangers (71-59 through August 25)
Colby Lewis (11-9, 4.07)
Eek. The Rangers picked a bad time to drop three straight against Boston and five of six overall. They’ve let the Angels off the mat. Though Boston shut them out on Thursday, pitching has been their prime problem of late. In three of their last four defeats, they’ve allowed 10 or more runs. That void left by Cliff Lee’s offseason departure stands out. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Colby Lewis will start for Texas on Sunday night. He’s almost matched his resurgent 2010 numbers, as his walks, strikeouts and WHIP are right in line with last year. But Lewis’ game has regressed in one noteworthy area: homers.
He can’t stop serving up gopher balls. Lewis has been taken deep a whopping 30 times in 165.2 innings (26 starts). Only Bronson Arroyo has allowed more long balls this season.
Over is 8-1 in LAA last 9 games following a win.
LAA are 7-1 in their last 8 overall.
LAA are 7-1 in their last 8 games on grass.
Over is 7-2 in TEX last 9 vs. American League West.
Over is 10-3 in Lewis’ last 13 home starts.
Under is 15-5-1 in Weavers last 21 starts vs. TEX.
Weaver has been lights-out against Texas this season. Yeah, Andrus has his number, but that won’t matter if none of Texas’ other hitters can drive him in.
On the flipside, Lewis has really struggled at home in 2011, posting a 5.56 ERA. His homer rate at Rangers Ballpark is especially high; he’s allowed 20 in just 79.1 innings. Almost every stat points to an Angels win on Sunday night.
Sunday Night Baseball Prediction: Angels 5, Rangers 2
Before baseball gambling fans turn their attention to other sports betting events, we have the Saturday MLB game of the day pick for you. It’s time for our weekly baseball picks for online MLB betting action.
Season Record:
LA: 71-75 SU
Tampa Bay: 88-57 SU
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
Before baseball gambling fans turn their attention to other sports betting events this weekend, we have the Saturday MLB game of the day pick for you. It’s time for our weekly baseball picks for online MLB betting action.
Season Record:
Los Angeles: 47-42 SU
Oakland: 41-46 SU
