Friday major league baseball and I will have a Free Pick in the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers, which will be played at Globe Life Park In Arlington Texas. First pitch is scheduled for a 8:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Angels -130
Rangers +120
Over/ Under: 8.5 O -120
This is game 2 of a 3 game series between these American League foes. The Halos have been playing better ball of late as they have won 4 of their last 5 games, but still they haven't been able to gain ground in this division as they currently trail the Astros by 5 games. The Rangers has a solid series in Baltimore, in which they took 3 of the 4 games played. The Rangers are now 2 games over .500 and 5.5 games behind the Astros in their division.
Los Angeles ranks 23rd in scoring (3.84 rpg), 24th in hitting (.241) and 9th in homers (81), while on the mound they are 11th in ERA (3.66) and 7th in WHIP (1.21). Texas ranks 10th in scoring (4.32 rpg), 20th in hitting (.249) and 8th in homers (87), while on the mound they are 18th in ERA (3.95) and 22nd in WHIP (1.33).
Getting the ball for the Halos tonight will be Garrett Richards, who is 6-5 with a 3.54 ERA overall this year, while on the road he has gone 3-4 with a 5.17 ERA. Richards has solid numbers vs the Rangers in his career, going 7-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) vs them, while in this park he has gone 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 7 games (4 starts).
Toeing the rubber for the Texas tonight will be Chi Chi Gonzalez, who is 2-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 6 starts this year, while at home he is 1-1 with a 3.66 ERA. He has yet to face the Halos in his brief career.
Pick: I will go with the Halos in this one. The Rangers have been playing good ball of late, but they are coming off an long trip and just played on the east coast yesterday. Fading teams off a long road trip are usually profitable and I am expecting that here. Chi Chi has pitched well this year, while Garrett has struggled at times, but right now Garrett is in better form than his counterpart and a struggling Angels offense should get it going in this hitters park. The Rangers are also hitting the ball well, but I do expect them to be a bit sluggish here. Angels take game 1 here.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for MLB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
Will Money Laundering Dirty Phil Mickelson's Name & Game?
After ESPN's Outside the Lines broke news that Phil Mickelson is connected to a multi-million dollar money laundering and sports betting case involving former sports tout Greg Silveira, the media started having a field day. Mickelson, who has been connected to sports betting before as well as insider trading allegations, runs the risk of getting his clean cut reputation tarnished with the news, plus it could result in more golf struggle after a lackluster US Open performance in 2015. Is it time to fade Lefty?