American League rivals Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros decide who wins the series when they play Game 3 of their current set on Wednesday night at the Minute Maid Park.
The Angels drew first blood but the Astros returned the favor in Game 2 on Tuesday to set up this series-clinching Game 3. Los Angeles will let left-hander Andrew Heaney open on top of the mound while Houston will hand the ball to right-hander Jose Urquidy.
The Los Angeles Angels entered the Houston series having beaten the Los Angeles Dodgers in two of three games last week. Despite that, they are just 3-7 in their last 10 games and 16-19 on the season, currently in last place in the American League West team standings.
Infielder Jared Walsh has batted at .346 in his last seven games with nine hits, eight RBIs, and four walks during that span. Mike Trout ranks third in MLB with a .365 batting average to go with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. Shohei Ohtani leads the Angels with 10 home runs while also contributing 26 total RBIs.
Lefty Andrew Heaney will start for the Angels. The 29-year old has a record of 1-2 in six starts with an ERA of 4.11 and a WHIP of 1.04. Heaney has pitched in a total of 30.2 innings and has allowed 14 runs on 22 hits with 44 strikeouts and 10 walks allowed.
The Angels rank 9th in the league with 163 runs scored this season. They are 4th in batting average and slugging percentage at .256 and .424, respectively. On the mound, Los Angeles ranks 8th in ERA at 5.10 and is 28th in WHIP at 1.46, and 24th in BAA at .249 on the season.
The Houston Astros defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in their previous series. The Astros jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Monday but the Angels rallied to win the opening game of the series. Houston scored four runs in the bottom of the 8th inning after a pitcher’s duel to take Game 2. The Astros are 19-17 on the season and 2.5 games behind division leader Oakland.
Yordan Alvarez is batting .342 and has six home runs and 21 RBIs on the year. Kyle Tucker leads the team with seven home runs and 21 RBIs while Yuli Gurriel leads the team with 28 RBIs and 43 hits while also drilling six homers.
Jose Urquidy will open for the Astros in Game 3. The 25-year old right-hander has a record of 3-2 in seven starts with an ERA of 3.51 and a WHIP of 1.07. Urquidy has pitched in a total of 41 innings this season and has conceded 16 runs on 35 hits with 29 strikeouts and 9 walks.
Houston ranks 13th in ERA at 3.89. Their pitching staff also ranks 11th in WHIP and BAA at 1.19 and .255, respectively. The Astros are the second in the majors in run production with 181 scored on the campaign. They are 2nd in batting average at .260 and 3rd in slugging at .425. Houston is also 5th in OBP at .324.
The Angels are 3-7 in their last 10 games played, and 1-6 n their last seven games against the American League. Los Angeles is 3-7 in their last 10 games played on grass, 10-26 in their last 36 Game 3s of a series, 5-17 in their last 22 Wednesday games, and 2-5 in their last seven games when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous games.
Houston is 4-2 SU in their last six games played, and 9-4 SU in their last 13 games played at home. The Astros are 4-1 in their last Game 3s of a series, 37-15 in their last 52 games at home against a left-handed starter, 68-31 in their last 99 games as home favorites, and 7-3 in their last 10 games played against the American League West.
Head to head, the Astros are 5-2 in their last seven games played against the Angels. Houston is also 41-20 in their last 61 home games against the Los Angeles Angels.
These are two teams with terrific offenses with lots of star power on both sides. With the series at 1-1, both will be gunning for the win here to clinch the series.
Trout and Walsh have been red hot for the Angels but unfortunately for them, their bullpen hasn’t been as great with an ERA of 5.12. That’s going to be an issue against an equally prolific offensive team in Houston.
The Astros have the edge when it comes to the bullpen. With both pitchers throwing great stuff lately, this game could very well be decided by the team with the better bullpen. That’s Houston, so I’m laying the chalk with them.
Prediction: Houston Astros
The total has gone over in five out of the last seven games played by the Angeles. Los Angeles has seen the total go over in five out of their last seven games after a loss. The over is also 4-1 in their last five Wednesday games, 14-5-1 in their last 20 games after scoring just two or fewer runs in their previous game, and 5-2 in their last seven games played on grass.
The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by the Astros. Houston has seen the total go over in four out of their last five home games. The over is also 9-1-1 in their last 11 Game 3s of a series, 6-1 in their last seven against the American League West, and 6-1 in their last seven games played against an opponent with a losing record.
Head to head, the total has gone over in 19 out of the last 26 meetings between these two teams. The over is also 11-3 in the last 14 meetings in Houston.
Both pitchers are coming off good outings. But neither of them has an ERA better than 3.51. That said, these are two explosive offenses batting against good, but not excellent pitchers. Both teams can score a lot, especially against each other as they have averaged 10.4 runs per game in their last 10 meetings. I think that the better offense wins this game and we should see a high-scoring game here.
Prediction: Over 8.5
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