Astros vs. Angels MLB Picks: Houston is Out of Anaheim's League

The Angels broke a five-game losing streak with Shohei Ohtani on the mound Wednesday, but the Astros are in prime position to get back to their winning ways in Anaheim on Thursday. Let's dive into the matchup with our Astros-Angels picks.

The Astros are dominating the AL West and the entire league. Houston leads the division at 57-30, with only the New York Yankees (62-26) holding a better record overall in the American League.

Meanwhile, the Angels are disappointing yet again. They're 19 games behind the Astros at 39-50 and in the bottom third of the league's standings.

Here are my Astros-Angels picks and predictions for Thursday’s MLB game (odds via DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Astros vs. Angels Game Info

Date: Thursday, July 14th, 8:07 p.m. ETTV: ATT SportsNet-SW, Bally Sports WestLocation: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CAWeather: 78 degrees, 8.3-mph winds, 0% chance of precipitation

Astros vs. Angels Odds

Astros vs. Angels Odds Analysis

The Astros opened at -155 and are now as high as -185 (BetMGM) after attracting a large chunk of the betting handle and tickets. The best you can get for Houston now is -174 through FanDuel. The Angels are up to +155 (Unibet) after opening at +135.

There hasn't been much movement on the total after opening at 8, despite most of the action coming in on the Over. You can get Over 8 at -110 through DraftKings, and the Under at -106 through FanDuel.

Astros vs. Angels Projected Pitchers

Framber Valdez (8-4, 2.64 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) vs. Reid Detmers (2-3, 4.22 ERA, 1.05 WHIP)

Valdez hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since April 19, coincidentally against these Angels. He’s gone six-plus innings while giving up three earned runs or fewer in 14 straight starts.

The young Detmers has been inconsistent for the Angels. He’s produced a few starts with no runs allowed, including this past Friday in Baltimore (six innings, two hits, one walk, seven strikeouts). However, he gave up four-plus runs in each of his two starts before that outing. Detmers has started once against Houston in 2022, allowing two runs on three hits (including two dingers) across four innings. One of those homers was Jose Altuve's leadoff longball.

Astros vs. Angels Picks

Moneyline: Astros (-174 via FanDuel) ????Total: Under 8 (-106 via FanDuel) ???Prop: Jared Walsh Under 0.5 hits (+115 via DraftKings) ???

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Astros vs. Angels ML Pick

Astros (-174)

This is pretty close to being a five-star lock. The Angels are 3-10 over their last 13 games, with all three of those victories coming with Ohtani on the mound. They're also 6-14 across the team's previous 20 games, with another Ohtani win during that stretch.

The Astros are 18-9 against left-handers in 2022, and they swept the Angels at home to kick off July. Houston hasn’t lost a series in over a month. That run won't end Thursday against the lowly Angels, who may be without Mike Trout due to a back issue.

https://twitter.com/astros/status/1547035652050526208

Astros vs. Angels O/U Pick

Under 8 (-106)

This is a bit of a tossup, but I’m going to count on Detmers producing a solid outing against the Astros. Yordan Alvarez is on the injured list too.

Both teams have been heavily trending toward the Under in 2022. The Under is 52-31 during Houston's games and 44-35 in the Angels' contests. The Astros may be able to put up a crooked number themselves, but not above this total. And the Angels have been struggling to score recently while notching two runs or fewer in six of their last 11 matchups.

Astros vs. Angels Prop Pick

Walsh Under 0.5 hits (+115)

Angels first baseman Jared Walsh is in a huge slump. He’s gone 0-for-8 in this series and 3-for-35 in July. Since a 3-for-6 game on June 21, his average has dropped from .265 to .241 due to an 8-for-59 (.136) stretch.

Left-handed hitters are batting .214 against Valdez, who’s allowed four hits or fewer in six of his last eight starts. Take the +115 odds on a batter who's struggling mightily going hitless against a lefty.

Where to Bet on Astros-Angels Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

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Astros-Angels picks made 7/14/2022 at 12:14 p.m. ET.