Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros MLB Point Spread Picks 8/23/2019

Friday, August 23, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Parker Bridwell vs. Zack Greinke

Minute Maid Park is the venue where George Springer and the Houston Astros (81-47, 1st in AL West) will play the Los Angeles Angels (63-67, 4th in AL West) on Friday. The Astros open this contest at -310 while the Angels are coming in at +275. The O/U opens at 9.5.

The Angels have been inconsistent for bettors, having gone 63-66-0 SU. Houston is covering 63.8% of the time, going 81-46-0 straight up.

Valuable Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Angels have been a good Over bet for over/under wagerers, having gone 64-58-7.

The Angels are covering 46.2% of the time as the road team, having gone 30-35-0 straight up.

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros are covering 75.0% of the time at Minute Maid Park, going 45-15-0 SU.

The Astros have been a less than ideal Over bet for over/under wagerers, having gone 55-67-5.

Key Los Angeles Angels Injuries

8/21/2019 Griffin Canning SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/21/2019 Kevan Smith C Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/19/2019 Andrelton Simmons SS Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 27
8/19/2019 Justin Anderson RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/9/2019 Keynan Middleton RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/5/2019 Felix Pena RP Knee Out for the season
7/12/2019 Zack Cozart 3B Shoulder Out for the season
7/3/2019 Stella Tommy La Stella 2B Lower Leg Expected to be out until at least Sep 3

Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/21/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Aug 30
8/21/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Pectoral Expected to be out until at least Sep 5
8/21/2019 Aledmys Diaz 2B Head Expected to be out until at least Aug 27
8/21/2019 Josh James RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Angels have a 63-67 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Parker Bridwell is expected to make his season debut for Los Angeles. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.70 and they have given up 590 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 623 hitters and walked 247 batters. As a team, Los Angeles allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.04. The Angels pitchers collectively have given up 1,142 base hits and 648 earned runs. They have allowed 208 home runs this season, ranking them 4th in the league. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 450 batters and struck out 1,146. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.89.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Los Angeles is hitting .253, good for 14th in the league. The Angels hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Mike Trout is hitting .296 with an on-base percentage of .440. He has 128 hits this season in 432 at bats with 98 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .660 and an OPS+ of 187. David Fletcher is hitting .287 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 133 hits and he has driven in 42 men in 463 at bats. His OPS+ is 98 while his slugging percentage is at .397. The Angels have 1,130 hits, including 222 doubles and 185 home runs. Los Angeles has walked 477 times so far this season and they have struck out 983 times as a unit. They have left 908 men on base and have a team OPS of .766. They score 5.06 runs per contest and have scored a total of 658 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 81-47 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.84, Zack Greinke has a 13-4 record and a 0.98 WHIP. He has 149 strikeouts over the 165 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 134 hits. He's allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.33. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.71 and they have given up 371 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 473 batters and walked 151 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 958 base knocks and 476 earned runs this season. They have given up 187 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 354 hitters and struck out 1,291 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 4.09.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .273, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .486 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .349, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .379. He has 112 hits this year along with 68 RBI in 380 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .568 with an OPS+ of 147. Michael Brantley is hitting .334 this season and he has an OBP of .393. He has collected 156 hits in 467 at bats while driving in 76 runs. He has an OPS+ of 145 and a slugging percentage of .540. The Astros as a unit have 1,207 base hits, including 251 doubles and 216 homers. Houston has walked 492 times this year and they have struck out on 914 occasions. They have had 917 men left on base and have an OPS of .834. They have scored 5.45 runs per game and totaled 697 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Angels (+275)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink