The Angels (68-82, 33-42 away) travel to take on the Rays (92-59, 50-25 home) in game one of this American League matchup. Patrick Sandoval is getting the start for the Angels while Taj Bradley is starting for the Rays. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays showdown at Tropicana Field.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Los Angeles Angels +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:40 ET on Tuesday, September 19th.

WHY BET THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS:

  • The Angels will be taking on a Rays club that is just 1-2 vs. the runline in their last three games.
  • In their last ten games, the Angels have gone 6-4 vs. the runline.
  • Taj Bradley has given up five away runs across his last three starts.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

So far this season, the Angels have a series record of 19-26-3 and overall record of 68-82. This mark has Los Angeles placed 4th in the AL West. On the road, they have a below .500 record of 33-42.

Patrick Sandoval has made 27 starts this season, with a 7-13 record and an ERA of 4.21. His opponents have a .253 batting average against him, and a .367 slugging percentage. On the road, Sandoval is 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA; at home he is 2-6 with an ERA of 5.01.

Patrick Sandoval was dealt the loss in his most recent start against the Mariners, as he surrendered eight runs on nine hits in a 8-0 defeat for the Angels.

As a team, Los Angeles has scuffled at the plate of late, with a combined batting average of just .185 over their last ten games. Compared to other teams, this is just 30th in that span. When looking at the team’s power numbers, they have a season-long slugging percentage of .428% while going deep a total of 216 times (3rd). Overall, the Angels are 14th in the MLB at 4.6 runs per contest.

The Angels will be without Shohei Ohtani today, as the team’s leader in hits is sidelined. The two-way star has been a key contributor to the offense this season, batting .304 with an impressive OBP of .412.

WILL THE TAMPA BAY RAYS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

This season, the Rays have an overall series record of 29-13-6 and are currently 2nd in the AL East. Tampa Bay’s overall record is 92-59, which includes their current two game losing streak. On the road, the Rays are 42-34 and 50-25 at home.

Taj Bradley is making his 20th appearance of the season with a 5-7 record. His ERA stands at 5.56, with opponents batting .254 against him. On the road, Bradley has gone 2-4 with a 6.11 ERA, while he is 3-3 at home on an ERA of 6.18. Teams have a slugging percentage of .481 against him for the season thus far.

Taj Bradley did not earn a decision in his last outing against the Twins, surrendering four runs and four hits. Despite this, the Rays were able to come away with a 5-4 victory.

In their five most recent games, the Rays have put together a batting average of only .219, placing them 23rd compared to the rest of the league. At 5.3 runs per game, Tampa Bay is 4th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .257 and OPS of .773 which has them 4th in baseball.

Isaac Paredes has been a major contributor to the Rays’ offensive success in 2023, leading the team with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .489 is indicative of his power at the plate.