Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction and Betting Odds August 22
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his analysis of Monday’s Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels clash at Tropicana Field. After losing two of three games to the Tigers, the Angels continue their east coast trip in Tampa Bay.
| Monday, August 22 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Tampa Bay Rays -210 vs Los Angeles Angels +175 |
| Runline: | Rays -1.5 (+110) / Angels +1.5 (-130) |
| Total: | 7 Runs (Over -120 / Under +100) |
| Game Time: | 7:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Where: | Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL |
| Weather: | Dome |
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Analysis
The Los Angeles Angels travel east to begin a four game series against the Tampa Bay Rays from Tropicana Field on Monday evening.
The Rays began their home stand by winning three of four games against the Kansas City Royals this weekend. Meanwhile the Angels lost two of three in Detroit against the lifeless Tigers. Los Angeles did come out on top in two of the three home games against Tampa in May.
Reliever turned starter Jeffrey Springs gets the nod for Tampa Bay, while the young lefty Tucker Davidson toes the rubber for Los Angeles. First pitch is slated for 7:10 PM EST/4:10 PST.
Angels Hit Rock Bottom
Mike Trout has returned from an extended stint on the injured list, but the Los Angeles Angels continue to struggle to score. They managed to score only four runs in a three game set against the Detroit Tigers this weekend.
The Angels lost the series after blanked 4-0 yesterday afternoon. Shohei Ohtani left with a stomach virus and took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in only four innings of work.
Mike Trout did have two singles, but was one of only two players with multi-hit games. The Angels offense ranks poorly across the board, 26th in runs scored, 27th in batting average and 27th in on-base percentage.
Los Angeles has lost five of their last six games, dropping their record to 52-69 on the season. On Monday evening they will send the 26 year-old southpaw Tucker Davidson to the mound in hopes of righting the ship. He is 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.67 WHIP on the season.
In two games since joining the Angels, Davidson has allowed eight runs on ten hits across ten innings of work. It’s cause for concern that he has walked 19 while only striking out 14 across 25.1 innings.
Rays In Wildcard Hunt
The Tampa Bay Rays are locked in a three-way tie with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners for the the three available American League Wild Card spots. They improved to 65-55 with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals yesterday afternoon.
First baseman Harold Ramirez went 3 for 4 with two RBI and Rafael Betancourt hit his 7th homerun of the season. It was a basically a “typical Tampa” bullpen game with Ryan Yarbrough opening things up with only two unearned runs allowed across 4.1 innings of work.
Shawn Armstrong picked up his second victory of the season with 1.1 scoreless innings. The Rays rely heavily on their pitching as they rank only 23rd in runs scored and 21st in batting average. However they do have the 4th best team ERA at 3.38 and 4th best team WHIP at 1.14 which consistently keeps them in games.
The Rays give the ball to the southpaw Jeffrey Springs with hopes that he continues a strong campaign. He is 5-3 with an impressive 2.52 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 95 strikeouts across 95.1 innings.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction
The Tampa Bay Rays are heavily favored in this contest with a money line of -205, while the Los Angeles Angels sit at +175 with a total of 7.5. At this point, I’m running in the other direction from the Los Angeles Angels in any shape or form.
It’s staggering to think that the Angels have now lost 51 of their last 76 games played. Meanwhile Tampa Bay has won six of their last eight overall and four of their last five at home. Both teams obviously trend ridiculously towards the under, but with a total of only 7.5 there isn’t much for wiggle room.
I evened considered Angels team total unders which are also at an all-time low. Best way I can figure this one is to lay the -.5 run in the first five innings with the Rays. Springs has been sharp in his last three outings with only five runs allowed across 16 innings.
Tucker Davidson has been awful since joining Los Angeles with eight runs allowed across ten innings of work. I do trust the Rays pen, but I’m much more comfortable with them covering the first five run line as opposed to the full game in a game where runs will be at a premium.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays F5 -0.5 -130 (first five innings)
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Monday, August 22
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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