White Sox vs Angels Odds, Lines, and Pick (April 2)

• The Los Angeles Angels aim to extend their recent dominance over Chicago when they host the White Sox on Friday night as slim betting favorites
• The Angels escaped with a 4-3 comeback win on Thursday, and have now defeated the White Sox in 20 of 25 meetings
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Friday night’s AL clash at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels aim to build on an impressive 4-3 comeback victory on Opening Day when they continue a four-game series with the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday night at 9:38 pm ET as slim -120 favorites.

The Angels have dominated the White Sox on home turf in recent years, claiming victory in 20 of 25 clashes since the start of the 2013 MLB campaign. The White Sox, meanwhile, look to avoid opening their season on a 0-2 run for just the second time in six years as they get set to take the field as +104 underdogs.

Here’s a look at all the odds and trends ahead of Friday night’s clash at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

White Sox vs Angels Odds

Odds as of April 2, 2021.

Angels Look to Build on Character Win

Faced with the task of turning things around following a dismal 2020 MLB campaign, the Angels showed character while marching to a 4-3 victory over Chicago on Thursday night. While Los Angeles finished well out of the hunt in the AL West last season, posting a 26-34 record, the team turned in respectable results on home turf, winning 11 of their final 17 contests at Angel Stadium to close out thing out with a 16-15 record.

THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE! The #WhiteSox lose the opener to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-3 thanks to a disastrous 8th inning! 💔 #CWSvsLAA #MLB #OpeningDay #ChangeTheGame #MakeItMajor pic.twitter.com/e6OmsXWTA7

— ͏Sidney Brown (@sidkid80) April 2, 2021

Not surprisingly, Mike Trout was key to the club’s late-season home surge. The current favorite to claim a fourth career AL MVP award hit 10 home runs while hitting .340 at home last season. He also played a huge role in Thursday’s win, going 1-for-2 with two bases on ball, scoring once, and driving in the tying run in the eighth inning.

Angels Career Stats vs Keuchel

Trout Hitting White Sox Hard

That performance extends Trout’s impressive track record against Chicago. The 29-year-old has now reached base in 10 of his past 11 appearances vs the White Sox, and has compiled an impressive .575 batting average during that stretch. In addition, Trout sports a solid .333 average in 15 career at-bats with Dallas Keuchel on the mound.

Mike Trout ties the game up and Angel Stadium is ROCKING pic.twitter.com/pr7tRKKInO

— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) April 2, 2021

Trout’s production has also contributed to the trend towards high scoring when these two teams meet. The Angels and White Sox have combined to score an average of 12.4 total runs per game over their past seven clashes, fueling a steady 6-1 run for the OVER in totals betting.

Keuchel Aims to End Chicago’s Slide vs Angels

However, with Keuchel set to make his first start of the season on Friday, the Angels could have a tough time extending that trend. The 33-year-old southpaw returns for his second season with the White Sox after racking up a 6-2 record in 2020, to go along with a sparkling 1.99 ERA.

Dallas Keuchel’s final spring start saw him go 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR.

Don’t cry because Cactus League is ending, smile because it wasn’t canceled by a pandemic this time

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) March 28, 2021

Keuchel consistently frustrated sluggers last season, surrendering just 0.284 home runs per nine innings, tops among AL hurlers. He has also been a workhorse in recent starts vs the Angels. Kuechel has averaged over seven innings of work while going 6-0 in his past seven starts against LA, and has limited Trout to just one long ball in 15 career at-bats.

White Sox Career Stats vs Heaney

White Sox Offense Poised to Bust Out

While the Angels hold an historical edge over Chicago, which they maintained in Thursday’s victory, they are unwise to underestimate the White Sox’ formidable offense. Led by reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu, the White Sox were tops in the AL last season with 96 home runs, and ranked second in runs scored.

The White Sox averaged 5.1 runs per game in 2020 good for 5th in the MLB while having Mazara in RF and and the ghost of Encarnacion at DH

This offense is still going to roll, it's done it despite big holes in the lineup before

— Robin John (@rojopalko) March 26, 2021

And despite falling to defeat in their past four dates with the Angels with Friday’s starter Andrew Heaney on the mound, the White Sox offense has gotten to the 29-year-old southpaw in their past two matchups, tagging Heaney for 10 total hits and seven total earned runs over his past 13 innings of work.

The Picks: White Sox +104; UNDER 8.5 (-113)