The Los Angeles Angels and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet Monday in MLB action from Progressive Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Pirates vs LA Angels Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Los Angeles Angels will send out Tyler Anderson here and he is 2-3 with a 2.23 ERA and 27 strikeouts this season. This will be Anderson’s second career start against Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller will get the start for the Pirates here and is 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA and 39 strikeouts this season. In his career, Keller is 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and 11 strikeouts against the Angels.
Los Angeles Angels Recap
The Los Angeles Angels come into this one looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss in Sunday’s rubber match against the Guardians. It was yet another series loss for the Halos who haven’t won a series since their sweep of the Marlins back in early April. Los Angeles actually had the initial lead in the game off of Jo Adell’s RBI, but the Guardians would strike in the later innings and send the Angels back empty-handed.
Ward Still Leading Struggling Angel Offense
Taylor Ward leads the Angels with 38 hits along with 7 home runs and a team-high 24 RBIs. Mike Trout has a team-high 10 home runs along with a pair of triples and 6 stolen bases while Zach Neto has a team-high 36 strikeouts and 5 stolen bases. Luis Rengifo also has a team-high 9 stolen bases as well.
Why the Los Angeles Angels will win
- Probable Starting Pitcher: Tyler Anderson Record this season: 2-3 ERA: 2.23
- The Pirates have lost each of their last six games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Angels have won nine of their last 10 games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 11 games as favorites against AL West opponents.
- The Angels have covered the run line each of their last seven games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
- The Pirates have lost the first inning in four of their last five games as home favorites against American League opponents.
- The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three games as home favorites against American League opponents.
- The Pirates have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
Pittsburgh Pirates Recap
The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this game looking to build on their series win over the Rockies after a 5-3 win in Sunday’s series finale, snapping a run after series losses to the A’s and Giants in the week prior. Pittsburgh was behind for a lot of the game but utilized a 4-run 6th inning to steam ahead and leave the Rockies in the dust.
Pirates Need Boost Offensively
Bryan Reynolds has a team-high 33 hits with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs while Ke’Bryan Hayes has 31 hits with 7 doubles. Oneil Cruz has a team-high 50 strikeouts and 3 stolen bases while Connor Joe has a team-high 8 doubles with 14 RBIs and a .290 batting average. Michael A. Taylor has 3 stolen bases of his own as well this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win
- Probable Starting Pitcher: Mitch Keller Record this season: 2-3 ERA: 5.18
- The Angels have lost each of their last seven night games against National League opponents following a road loss.
- The home team has won six of the Pirates’ last seven games.
- The Angels have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven night games against National League opponents following a road loss.
- The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last four night games at PNC Park following a win.
- The Angels have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four night games against National League opponents.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs LA Angels Prediction
I’m on the under here. I don’t mind the pitching matchup of Anderson vs. Keller, and even if I did, it’s not like these are two dominant offenses going to battle here. The Angels have been weak and even more weak since Mike Trout got injured, and the Pirates have tailed off after a strong start once again. I think the under play here is simply based on a lack of scoring, not good defense or good pitching, just few runs being scored. Give me the under here.