Not even two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Angels were nine games over .500 and holding ground in a highly competitive AL West. However, the Angels have gone just 1-7 in their last eight contests and find themselves straining just to tread water in the wild-card race. Can the Angels finally get their mojo back when they close out their short two-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday?
- Felix Pena will make the first start of his career Tuesday – he has never pitched more than 3.2 innings in an outing in the MLB.
- The Angels are 1-13 SU in their last 14 games at home against teams with winning records.
- The Diamondbacks rank 30th in the MLB in batting average but 13th in home runs.
A big reason for the recent struggles of the Angels has been their downright dreadful pitching. The Halos have posted a collective 5.90 ERA over their past eight games, which includes surrendering an absurd 19 home runs in that span. The offense has been holding up its end of the bargain – slashing .246/.322/.432 while averaging 4.8 runs per game in the past eight – but the bats have not been able to make up for the awful pitching performances. This combination has led to the OVER hitting in each of the Angels’ past six games with an average combined score of 11.2 runs per game.
The Angels will give Felix Pena the first start of his young career, as the righty has made just 38 relief appearances stretched across two-plus seasons for the Angels and Chicago Cubs. Pena has made just two appearances in the MLB this season, allowing five hits and three earned runs in 2.2 innings of work. He has never pitched more than 3.2 innings in an outing, which could be a concern for a bullpen that pitched five innings last night.
On the other side of the diamond is a Diamondbacks team that has been middling recently, going 3-3 in its last six. The offense has been sporadic – at best – during that time frame, averaging 6.7 rpg in their victories compared to 2.7 in their defeats. The D-backs have been reliant on home runs to make up for their lack of contact this season, as Arizona is 13th in the majors in dingers but dead last in batting average.
Right-hander Matt Koch will take the bump for the Diamondbacks in this one. The 27-year-old has been inconsistent this season, which is to be expected considering he was not expected to be part of the rotation until Taijuan Walker was injured. Koch has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of his 12 appearances but has surrendered five or more on three occasions as well.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Angels Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Los Angeles Angels bring a 38-35 record to the battle against the 40-32 Diamondbacks. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Los Angeles vs Arizona injuries news.
It's a MLB betting matchup between the No. 16-rated Angels and the No. 3-ranked Diamondbacks, according to the latest MLB power poll here at OddsShark.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits the Los Angeles Angels' No. 9-rated offense, averaging 4.55 runs per game, against an Arizona Diamondbacks defense that ranks No. 6 at 3.76 in runs allowed per game. The Angels have averaged 8.51 hits per game so far, more than Diamondbacks batters have averaged on the year (7.54 hits per game).
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping betting factors and Los Angeles has the No. 13-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Diamondbacks own the No. 6 mark in runs allowed.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Diamondbacks enjoyed a 7-4 victory at the expense of the Angels on Monday, with Zack Greinke throwing 6.1 innings of 7-hit ball at Angel Stadium.
- Arizona is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games
- Arizona is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Arizona's last 12 games
- Arizona is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Los Angeles is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
- Los Angeles is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
- Los Angeles is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Arizona at Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 21
Los Angeles home to Toronto, Thursday, June 21
