The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros clash Saturday in game 2 of an MLB series at Minute Maid Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview

The Angels need a win after losing 8 of their last 10 games. The Angels have dropped to 6.5 games out of the wild card race. The Angels pitching staff is 21st in ERA (4.47), 22nd in WHIP (1.37) and 18th in quality starts (37). The Angels’ offense is 7th in runs per game (4.87), 11th in batting average (.254) and 3rd in homers (175). Shohei Ohtani leads the Angels with 131 hits and 83 RBI, while Hunter Renfroe and Taylor Ward have combined for 191 hits and 98 RBI. Tyler Anderson gets the ball, and he is 5-3 with a 4.92 ERA and 86 strikeouts this season. Anderson is 0-1 with a 6.37 ERA and 23 strikeouts in his career against the Astros.

Los Angeles Angels Team Facts

• The Angels have lost each of their last six games against AL West opponents that held a winning record.
• The Angels have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six night games following a road loss.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Angels’ last six games as road underdogs against AL West opponents.
• The Angels have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three road games.
• The Angels have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six games at Minute Maid Park against American League opponents that held a winning record.

Los Angeles Angels Player Prop Facts

• Shohei Ohtani ranks T1st in the league in Home Runs (40) this season.

Houston Astros Betting Preview

The Astros look to stay hot after winning 8 of their last 11 games. The Astros are 2 games back in the AL West. The Astros pitching staff is 4th in ERA (3.80), 12th in WHIP (1.27) and 4th in quality starts (54). The Astros offense is 9th in runs per game (4.85), 16th in batting average (.252) and 9th in homers (152). Kyle Tucker leads the Astros with 123 hits and 84 RBI, while Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena have combined for 212 hits and 115 RBI. J.P. France gets the ball, and he is 8-3 with a 2.75 ERA and 68 strikeouts this season. France is 0-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 5 strikeouts in his career against the Angels.

Houston Astros Team Facts

• The Astros have won seven of their last eight night games against American League opponents.
• The Astros have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last 10 games as favorites against American League opponents following a win.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Astros’ last four home games.
• The Astros have trailed after 7 innings in three of their last four games as favorites against American League opponents.
• The Astros have led after 3 innings in each of their last three games against AL West opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Houston Astros ranks T28th in the league for triples this season (9).
• The Houston Astros ranks 4th in the league for ERA this season (3.80).
• The Los Angeles Angels ranks 3rd in the league for home runs this season (175).
• The Los Angeles Angels ranks 28th in the league for walks allowed this season (443).

Randy’s Pick

The Angels continue to watch their season fall apart, and it’s hard seeing this be the game where they stop the bleeding. Tyler Anderson has a 4.92 ERA and 1.50 WHIP on the season, and he has a 5.01 ERA and .281 allowed batting average on the road. The Astros are making a push for a possible division crown and J.P. France has been fabulous with his 2.75 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. France has allowed 8 earned runs in his last 34.2 innings. I’ll side with the Astros and take the RL to shave down the juice.