Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction and Betting Odds August 25
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his analysis of Thursday’s Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels clash at Tropicana Field. After yesterday’s loss, the Angels now sit 20 games under .500. The Rays sit 7.5 games out of first place in the AL East.
| Thursday, August 25 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Tampa Bay Rays -190 vs Los Angeles Angels +158 |
| Runline: | Rays -1.5 (+125) / Angels +1.5 (-145) |
| Total: | 7 Runs (Over +100 / Under -120) |
| Game Time: | 1:10pm ET / 10:10am PT |
| Where: | Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL |
| Weather: | Dome |
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Analysis
The Los Angeles Angels hope to avoid suffering a four game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon from Tropicana Field. Yesterday’s 4-3 loss had to be frustrating, due to the fact the Angels went toe-to-toe with the Rays only to fall short in the 11th inning.
The Rays will look to finish their home stand with a 7-1 record before traveling to Boston, while the Angels continue their 10 game road trip in Toronto. Tampa Bay will send the righty Drew Rasmussen to the mound, while the lefty Patrick Sandoval gets the nod for Los Angeles. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM EST/10:10 PST.
Angels Without Wings
The Los Angeles Angels continued their nosedive in dramatic fashion as they lost 4-3 in the 11th inning. The Angels did fight scoring a run in both 10th and 11th inning, but the Rays outdid them and prevailed.
Mike Mayers did toss five scoreless innings while allowing only two hits. Taylor Ward went 3 for 5 with a double & RBI and Mike Trout hit his 26th home run of the season.
Regardless the Angels lost seven of their last eight games giving them a horrendous 52-72 record. The Los Angeles offensive attack ranks poorly across the board despite having two of the premier sluggers in the game. They rank 25th in runs scored and 28th in batting average.
Their pitching has been solid as they rank 8th in OBA and 15th in ERA. At 4-8 Patrick Sandoval probably doesn’t have the record he deserves, considering he has a 3.14 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. He was absolutely brilliant in his last outing, hurling a complete game with only four hits and zero walks.
Rays On a Run
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to do what is necessary to churn out wins on a nightly basis. Last night it took extra innings where they scratched and clawed for a 4-3 victory. Shane McClanahan was dominant as usual pitching six scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out nine.
Harold Ramirez scored the game winning run after evening up the game with an RBI double. At 68-55 the Rays currently occupy the top Wild Card spot and now sit only 7.5 games behind the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay ranks just inside the bottom in most offensive categories.
They rank 22nd in runs scored, 20th in batting average and 21st in on-base percentage. Their team pitching is some of the best in the business as they rank 3rd in OBA, 3rd in ERA and 4th in WHIP.
Thursdays starter Drew Rasmussen has been a huge part of that staff with his 8-4 record, 2.82 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He held the Kansas City Royals to two runs on two his across 5.2 innings in his last outing.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction
The Tampa Bay Rays are favored with a money line set at -175, while the Los Angeles Angels sit at +150 with a total of 7. This series has been a classic case of two teams heading in completely opposite directions.
The Rays have won 10 of their last 12 games, while the Angels have lost 8 of their last 9 games. Tampa Bay has outscored Los Angeles 17-5 in the first three games of this series. We have a great pitching matchup against two lackluster lineups.
However with a total of 7 there isn’t much wiggle room on unders. Drew Rasmussen has been amazing recently as he has allowed only four runs in his last four starts.
The Angels lineup is bottom of the barrel against right-handed pitching and the Rays staff is firing on all cylinders. I don’t see another way to look outside of the Rays run line. We get some nice +125 odds on this one.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 +125
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Thursday, August 25
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WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Tampa Bay Rays vs Los Angeles Angels showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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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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