Thursday, September 22, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ricky Nolasco vs. Mike Fiers

The Los Angeles Angels visit Minute Maid Park on Thursday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Ricky Nolasco for the Angels and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Los Angeles at +161 and Houston at -171. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Angels have a 64-81-6 over/under record and a 72-79-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Astros are 69-82-0 against the run line and have a 67-76-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Angels head into this matchup with a 65-86 record, including 30-46 on the road. Starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco has a 6-14 record with an earned run average of 4.78 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 135 strikeouts over his 182.2 innings pitched and he has given up 192 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.26. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 503 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen while being struck out 413 times and walking 179 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 7.73 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.37 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.67. The Angels pitchers have collectively given up 1,395 base hits and 650 earned runs. They have allowed 201 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 470 batters and struck out 1,064. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.69.

As a team, Los Angeles is batting .248, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .248 average away from home. The Angels hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.45 hits per game. Mike Trout comes into this game hitting .318 and his on-base percentage is at .438. He has 164 hits this season along with 113 runs scored and 92 runs batted in. He's struck out 127 times and has walked 104 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .309 and he has an on-base percentage of .360. He has totaled 151 hits so far while scoring 63 runs and he's driven in 36. He has walked 37 times and has struck out 61 times. The Angels have 1,319 hits, including 246 doubles and 148 home runs. They've stolen 64 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 30 times. Los Angeles has walked 432 times this season and they've struck out 915 times as a unit. They've left 971 men on base and have a team OPS of .726. They score 4.34 runs per contest and have scored a total of 656 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 41-33 home record and a 80-71 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.46, Mike Fiers has a 11-7 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 120 strikeouts over the 157.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 175 hits. He has allowed 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.55. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.32 and they have given up 430 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 570 times and walking 127 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.82 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.53 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.98. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,341 base knocks and 605 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 173 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 407 hitters and struck out 1,298. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .235 average at home. The Astros hold a .419 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.39 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .336 and he has an OBP of .395. He has 200 hits this year along with 101 runs scored and 94 RBI. He's struck out 67 times and has walked on 56 occasions. George Springer is hitting .251 and he has an OBP of .355. He has collected 150 hits so far while he's scored 110 runs and drove in 78. He has earned a walk 86 times and has punched out 168 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,267 base hits, including 274 doubles and 191 homers. They have 97 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 43 times. Houston as a team has walked 527 times this year and they have struck out 1,369 times. They've had 1,017 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They score 4.53 runs per game and have totaled 684 runs so far this season.

Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Angels are 64-81-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Angels are 72-79-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 67-76-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 69-82-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Los Angeles Angels

09/16/16 P Tyler Skaggs Forearm out indefinitely
09/06/16 P Matt Shoemaker Head 60-day DL (9/5), out for season
09/05/16 P Huston Street Knee 60-day DL (8/2); out for season
08/18/16 C Geovany Soto Knee 15-day DL (8/15)
08/10/16 P Cam Bedrosian Blood Clot 15-day DL (8/4), out for season
07/20/16 P Nick Tropeano Elbow 60-day DL (7/19)
05/10/16 P Garrett Richards Elbow 60-day DL (5/2)
04/06/16 P Andrew Heaney Elbow 60-day DL (4/4), out for season
04/03/16 P C.J. Wilson Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25), out for season

Houston Astros

09/17/16 3B Alex Bregman Hamstring out indefinitely
09/06/16 P Dallas Keuchel Shoulder out indefinitely
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Josh's Pick: Take the Angels

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