Friday, September 23, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Alex Meyer vs. Doug Fister

The Los Angeles Angels visit Minute Maid Park on Friday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Alex Meyer for the Angels and Doug Fister for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Los Angeles at +172 and Houston at -182. The over/under was set at 9. The Angels have a 65-81-6 over/under record and a 73-79-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Astros are 69-83-0 against the run line and have a 68-76-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Angels head into this matchup with a 66-86 record, including 31-46 on the road. Starting pitcher Alex Meyer has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 5.63 and a WHIP of 1.81. He has 20 strikeouts over his 16 innings pitched and he has given up 16 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.51. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.82 and they have given up 505 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen while being struck out 414 times and walking 179 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 7.72 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.37 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Angels pitchers have collectively given up 1,403 base hits and 654 earned runs. They have allowed 202 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 472 batters and struck out 1,071. 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 4.68.

As a team, Los Angeles is batting .249, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .248 average away from home. The Angels hold a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.48 hits per game. Mike Trout comes into this game hitting .318 and his on-base percentage is at .437. He has 165 hits this season along with 114 runs scored and 95 runs batted in. He's struck out 128 times and has walked 105 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .311 and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 153 hits so far while scoring 65 runs and he's driven in 36. He has walked 38 times and has struck out 61 times. The Angels have 1,327 hits, including 247 doubles and 149 home runs. They've stolen 64 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Los Angeles has walked 436 times this season and they've struck out 921 times as a unit. They've left 977 men on base and have a team OPS of .725. They score 4.35 runs per contest and have scored a total of 661 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 41-33 home record and a 81-71 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.45, Doug Fister has a 12-12 record and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 110 strikeouts over the 174 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 185 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.74. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.33 and they have given up 431 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 573 times and walking 129 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.81 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 1,348 base knocks and 609 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 411 hitters and struck out 1,306. 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 3.84.

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 .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.39 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .338 and he has an OBP of .396. He has 203 hits this year along with 102 runs scored and 94 RBI. He's struck out 68 times and has walked on 56 occasions. George Springer is hitting .250 and he has an OBP of .354. He has collected 151 hits so far while he's scored 111 runs and drove in 78. He has earned a walk 86 times and has punched out 171 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,277 base hits, including 276 doubles and 193 homers. They have 97 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 43 times. Houston as a team has walked 530 times this year and they have struck out 1,379 times. They've had 1,023 men left on base and have an OPS of .739. They score 4.54 runs per game and have totaled 690 runs so far this season.

Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Angels are 65-81-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Angels are 73-79-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 68-76-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 69-83-0 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

09/22/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11); out for season
09/17/16 3B Alex Bregman Hamstring out indefinitely
09/06/16 P Dallas Keuchel Shoulder out indefinitely
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Angels

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