The Houston Astros will try to put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. The Astros were down 5-1 in the 9th inning last night before roaring back to win 10-5. As a result, the Halos’ have dropped four straight road games and will have to face veteran right-hander Charlie Morton, who got roughed up in his only appearance vs Los Angeles back in April. Oddsmakers have tabbed the Astros as -220 favorites to get the W.
- The Astros are 10-5 SU in 15 games at home with Charlie Morton on the mound.
- The Angels are 3-11 SU and ATS in their last 14 games vs the Astros.
- The OVER has hit in the Angels’ last five games on the road.
Morton has Done Well at Minute Maid Park
Charlie Morton is coming off a decent showing vs the D’Backs when he only allowed three hits and two runs in a 10-4 victory. The 34-year-old has had a career renaissance since joining the Astros and sports a 3.15 ERA in 15 home starts in 2018. Morton is close to surpassing 200 strikeouts this season which would be the highest total of his career. While he doesn’t have the pedigree of a Justin Verlander or Dallas Keuchel, he has been a great complimentary starter in the Astros’ rotation as Houston has gone 10-5 SU in his 15 home starts.
As for the Angels, they’ll counter with Tyler Skaggs, who is making his second start off the DL and has been on a pitch count. Skaggs has done fairly well vs Houston in his career with a 2.96 ERA in nine career starts against the Astros, including a 2.08 ERA in two starts this season. While I still think the Astros win this game, Skaggs history against Houston suggests this won’t be a walkover.
Astros Have Owned This Divisional Matchup
The Astros have pretty much dominated the Angels this season as they’re 11-3 SU and ATS in 14 games. One of the reasons for the Angels' swoon this season has been their pitchers as they rank 26th in ERA (4.81) since the All-Star break while allowing 70 home runs in 54 games. Maybe Tyler Skaggs can counter that trend but it doesn’t bode well for the Angels who are suffering through another losing season.
Angels’ Poor Pitching Leading to OVERS
The total opened at 8 and trends are pointing to the OVER. The OVER has hit in the Angels’ last five games on the road with an average combined score of 15.8 runs per game. Los Angeles’s bullpen can’t seem to get keep the ball in the yard and they’ve allowed opponents to score over 52 runs in those five contests so my pick for the game tonight will be OVER.
