Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Free Pick 09/28/19

Michael Brantley and the surging Houston Astros will be taking on their division rival Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The opening pitch is scheduled for 9:07 p.m. ET and ATTSN Southwest will broadcast the matchup.

Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels Odds

The Angels are 72-88 straight up (SU) and 79-80 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 16.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.0 units ATS. The Astros, on the other hand, are 105-55 SU and have gone 86-73 ATS. They’re up 3.5 units for moneyline bettors, but have lost 0.3 units ATS.

Los Angeles games have had an over/under record of 76-72-11 in 2019. Houston has been a good under bet with a total record of 71-83-5.

The right-handed Justin Verlander is projected to start for the visiting Astros. Verlander is 20-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 288 strikeouts. He’s 2-1 with 18 strikeouts and a 4.91 ERA against Los Angeles this year (three starts).

The Angels are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Jose Suarez (2-6, 7.34 ERA), who’s got 66 strikeouts and 31 walks as well as a 1.68 WHIP. Suarez is 0-1 with nine strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA across two starts against Houston this year.

As a unit, Los Angeles’ pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 5.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.64 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 74 games against AL West foes, Angels starters have an ERA of 5.63 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.80.

The Los Angeles hitters have produced 4.8 runs per contest, including 4.8 per game against divisional foes and 2.8 per game over their last five. The team has hit .201/.270/.302 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.

David Fletcher and Mike Trout have led the Angels’ hitters this year. Fletcher is slashing .293/.353/.388 with six home runs, 49 RBIs and 83 runs scored, while Trout’s line is .291/.438/.645 with 45 homers, 104 RBIs and 110 runs scored.

In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.61 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 10.45 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.73, along with a K-per-9 of 9.89.

Astros hitters have slashed .274/.356/.494 on their way to 5.7 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).

Left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel continue to lead Houston’s offense. Brantley is hitting .311/.372/.502 with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs and 88 runs scored, while Gurriel is hitting .299/.344/.540 with 30 homers, 102 RBIs and 84 runs scored.

Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels Prediction

Predictions: SU Winner – Angels, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – UNDER