Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 9/21/2019

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Patrick Sandoval vs. Wade Miley

Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (100-53, 1st in AL West) play the Los Angeles Angels (69-84, 4th in AL West) at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, September 21, 2019. The Astros open this matchup at -175 while the Angels are priced at +165. The O/U has been set at 9.5.

The Angels have been a decent bet for wagerers, having gone 69-84-0 SU. The Astros are covering 65.4% of the time, going 100-53-0 straight up.

Valuable Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Angels have been a pretty good Over bet for O/U wagerers, having gone 74-72-7.

Los Angeles is covering 42.3% of the time as the road team, having gone 33-45-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

Houston is covering 74.4% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 58-20-0 SU.

The Astros have been a pretty good Over bet for O/U wagerers, having gone 67-80-6.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Los Angeles Angels Injuries

9/18/2019 Stella Tommy La Stella 2B Lower Leg Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/18/2019 Luis Rengifo 2B Hand Out for the season
9/16/2019 Max Stassi C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/15/2019 Mike Trout CF Foot Out for the season
9/14/2019 Justin Upton LF Knee Out for the season
9/12/2019 Shohei Ohtani DH Knee Out for the season
9/11/2019 Cam Bedrosian RP Forearm Out for the season
8/22/2019 Griffin Canning SP Elbow Out for the season
8/5/2019 Felix Pena RP Knee Out for the season
7/12/2019 Zack Cozart 3B Shoulder Out for the season

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/18/2019 Ryan Pressly RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/18/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Shoulder Out for the season
9/17/2019 Collin McHugh RP Elbow Out for the season
9/14/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Angels have a 69-84 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval has a 0-3 record with an earned run average of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.36 this season. He has 38 strikeouts over his 33 innings pitched and he's given up 31 hits. He's allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.76. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.72 and they have given up 683 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen and they've struck out 723 hitters and walked 297 batters. As a team, Los Angeles allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Angels pitchers collectively have given up 1,333 base hits and 773 earned runs. They have allowed 245 home runs this season, ranking them 4th in the league. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 539 batters and struck out 1,335. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.95.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Los Angeles is hitting .249, good for 16th in the league. The Angels hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. David Fletcher is hitting .290 with an on-base percentage of .350. He has 162 hits this season in 558 at bats with 46 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .385 and an OPS+ of 97. Kole Calhoun is hitting .235 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .328. He has totaled 122 hits and he has driven in 72 men in 519 at bats. His OPS+ is 112 while his slugging percentage is at .478. The Angels have 1,301 hits, including 252 doubles and 212 home runs. Los Angeles has walked 561 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,185 times as a unit. They have left 1,067 men on base and have a team OPS of .752. They score 4.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 735 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 100-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.71, Wade Miley has a 14-5 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He has 138 strikeouts over the 162.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 155 hits. He's allowing 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.42. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.83 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 565 batters and walked 183 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.71. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,148 base knocks and 568 earned runs this season. They have given up 223 home runs this year, which ranks 12th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 425 hitters and struck out 1,570 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .276, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .494 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .353, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.5 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .318 with an OBP of .379. He has 175 hits this year along with 86 RBI in 551 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .510 with an OPS+ of 131. Alex Bregman is hitting .295 this season and he has an OBP of .419. He has collected 155 hits in 525 at bats while driving in 105 runs. He has an OPS+ of 159 and a slugging percentage of .581. The Astros as a unit have 1,460 base hits, including 304 doubles and 267 homers. Houston has walked 607 times this year and they have struck out on 1,104 occasions. They have had 1,103 men left on base and have an OPS of .847. They have scored 5.69 runs per game and totaled 870 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Angels/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Angels (+165)

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