Rays, Angels meet in possible playoff preview
Rays, Angels meet in possible playoff preview
With the Red Sox getting chucked four-straight in New York by the Bronx Bombers last weekend, Carlos Peña and the Rays have new life in the AL postseason chase. Tampa Bay is now just 1.5 behind Boston and Texas in the Wild Card race as they continue a West Coast swing that started in Seattle and now moves to Anaheim where they will face the Angels in what should be a high-scoring, three-game set.
If there’s a beat to follow in baseball right now, it’s the Los Angeles Angels and the Over. The most profitable wager overall at 65-44 (+20.97 units), the Angels are 64-40-5 O/U this season, making them the most dependable play on the Over in the big leagues.
Los Angeles ranks first in baseball in runs per game (5.69), batting average (.289), and is second in team OPS (.802) and stolen bases (110). The Halos have been particularly torrid at the dish since the All-Star break, going 16-7 (17-5-1 O/U) against the moneyline while putting up over seven runs per contest.
Oddsmakers have tried to keep pace with L.A., but public bettors are used to the Angels getting it done with solid pitching, timely hitting, and stellar defense. The clutch hitting is still there – the Angels lead baseball with a .305 average with runners in scoring position – but the pitching has been suspect. Los Angeles comes into the week ranked 26th in team ERA (4.77) and quality starts (48).
Add all of this together, and it takes an extraordinary betting trend to lay down money on the under when the Halos take the field. Bettors get their chance to do so when Los Angeles welcomes the Tampa Bay Rays (61-50, +2.07 units) for a three-game series beginning on Monday night.
Rays at Angels
The Under is the sharp bet in the series opener (10:05 PM ET), because Joe Maddon hands the ball to hard-throwing righthander Matt Garza (7-8, 3.63 ERA). The Rays have played under the number in 16 of Garza’s 21 starts this season, and haven't hit the Over in any of his starts on the road. Tampa Bay is 0-10 O/U when Garza pitches away from Tropicana Field this season, and is 3-9 O/U when he goes at night.
Mike Scioscia sends Sean O’Sullivan (3-1, 4.24 ERA) to the hill on Monday night, and expect him to be a slight underdog across the MLB betting odds board by the time the teams hit the field. Sportsbooks opened the Angels as +100 pups on the moneyline on Sunday, with the all-important total set at 9.5 runs.
The Rays were priced as slim -120 road chalk for Game 1 of the series, and it isn’t much of a stretch despite the Halos’ recent hot streak. Tampa Bay has cashed four of six and seven of their last 11 games against the moneyline to sit only two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card chase heading into Sunday Night Baseball.
There’s value in Los Angeles at that price, even with Torii Hunter (strained oblique) on the 15-day disabled list. Hunter’s rehab assignment that was scheduled to begin last Friday was pushed back, but it shouldn’t matter to the Angels, who have gone 7-4 over their last 11 contests. 7-3-1 O/U during that span, L.A. has cashed for over bettors in 15 of its last 19 games (13-6 ML).
If the smart money is on the Under for the opener, it’s back to the Over for the final two games of the series. Lefthander David Price (5-4, 4.91 ERA) gets the call for the Rays on Tuesday night (10:05 PM ET), while the Halos respond with Ervin Santana (4-6, 7.20 ERA).
Price is 0-3 with a swollen 8.20 ERA on the road this season, and combined with Santana’s home numbers, the Over is an easy call for handicappers. Santana is 0-4 with a 12.38 ERA at Angel Stadium this season, and is 3-0 O/U in his last three starts (8.62 ERA).
Jeff Niemann (10-5, 3.73 ERA) is scheduled to start in Wednesday’s series finale (3:35 PM ET) for Tampa Bay, which is 14-7 in his 21 outings this season. The big righty allowed five runs over 3 2-3 innings in the Rays’ (-115) 9-5 win in Game 2 of their previous three-game series with the Angels, who had yet to name their starter as of press time.
Tampa Bay took two of three from Los Angeles when the teams met at the Trop in June, outscoring the Angels 23-10. The Halos (+121) cashed the opener 5-4, while the Rays (-143) took the getaway game 11-1 on June 11.
With the Red Sox getting chucked four-straight in New York by the Bronx Bombers last weekend, Carlos Peña and the Rays have new life in the AL postseason chase. Tampa Bay is now just 1.5 behind Boston and Texas in the Wild Card race as they continue a West Coast swing that started in Seattle and now moves to Anaheim where they will face the Angels in what should be a high-scoring, three-game set.
If there’s a beat to follow in baseball right now, it’s the Los Angeles Angels and the Over. The most profitable wager overall at 65-44 (+20.97 units), the Angels are 64-40-5 O/U this season, making them the most dependable play on the Over in the big leagues.
Los Angeles ranks first in baseball in runs per game (5.69), batting average (.289), and is second in team OPS (.802) and stolen bases (110). The Halos have been particularly torrid at the dish since the All-Star break, going 16-7 (17-5-1 O/U) against the moneyline while putting up over seven runs per contest.
Oddsmakers have tried to keep pace with L.A., but public bettors are used to the Angels getting it done with solid pitching, timely hitting, and stellar defense. The clutch hitting is still there – the Angels lead baseball with a .305 average with runners in scoring position – but the pitching has been suspect. Los Angeles comes into the week ranked 26th in team ERA (4.77) and quality starts (48).
Add all of this together, and it takes an extraordinary betting trend to lay down money on the under when the Halos take the field. Bettors get their chance to do so when Los Angeles welcomes the Tampa Bay Rays (61-50, +2.07 units) for a three-game series beginning on Monday night.
Rays at Angels
The Under is the sharp bet in the series opener (10:05 PM ET), because Joe Maddon hands the ball to hard-throwing righthander Matt Garza (7-8, 3.63 ERA). The Rays have played under the number in 16 of Garza’s 21 starts this season, and haven't hit the Over in any of his starts on the road. Tampa Bay is 0-10 O/U when Garza pitches away from Tropicana Field this season, and is 3-9 O/U when he goes at night.
Mike Scioscia sends Sean O’Sullivan (3-1, 4.24 ERA) to the hill on Monday night, and expect him to be a slight underdog across the MLB betting odds board by the time the teams hit the field. Sportsbooks opened the Angels as +100 pups on the moneyline on Sunday, with the all-important total set at 9.5 runs.
The Rays were priced as slim -120 road chalk for Game 1 of the series, and it isn’t much of a stretch despite the Halos’ recent hot streak. Tampa Bay has cashed four of six and seven of their last 11 games against the moneyline to sit only two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card chase heading into Sunday Night Baseball.
There’s value in Los Angeles at that price, even with Torii Hunter (strained oblique) on the 15-day disabled list. Hunter’s rehab assignment that was scheduled to begin last Friday was pushed back, but it shouldn’t matter to the Angels, who have gone 7-4 over their last 11 contests. 7-3-1 O/U during that span, L.A. has cashed for over bettors in 15 of its last 19 games (13-6 ML).
If the smart money is on the Under for the opener, it’s back to the Over for the final two games of the series. Lefthander David Price (5-4, 4.91 ERA) gets the call for the Rays on Tuesday night (10:05 PM ET), while the Halos respond with Ervin Santana (4-6, 7.20 ERA).
Price is 0-3 with a swollen 8.20 ERA on the road this season, and combined with Santana’s home numbers, the Over is an easy call for handicappers. Santana is 0-4 with a 12.38 ERA at Angel Stadium this season, and is 3-0 O/U in his last three starts (8.62 ERA).
Jeff Niemann (10-5, 3.73 ERA) is scheduled to start in Wednesday’s series finale (3:35 PM ET) for Tampa Bay, which is 14-7 in his 21 outings this season. The big righty allowed five runs over 3 2-3 innings in the Rays’ (-115) 9-5 win in Game 2 of their previous three-game series with the Angels, who had yet to name their starter as of press time.
Tampa Bay took two of three from Los Angeles when the teams met at the Trop in June, outscoring the Angels 23-10. The Halos (+121) cashed the opener 5-4, while the Rays (-143) took the getaway game 11-1 on June 11.