Angels vs Rangers Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (Sep. 30)
- The Los Angeles Angels are road favorites over the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon
- The Angels send Alex Cobb (8-3, 3.46) to the mound to face Glenn Otto (0-3, 8.02)
- The odds and pitching matchups can be found below with a prediction
The Los Angeles Angels — who had lost nine of their last 11 games prior to Wednesday’s action — close out a three-game series with the Texas Rangers at 2:05 pm ET, Thursday, on getaway day at Globe Life Field.
Texas beat LA Tuesday 5-2 thanks to a pair of rookies. Andy Ibanez had three hits and a key two-run single to help fellow rookie AJ Alexy win for the third time in four career starts. With the victory, manager Chris Woodward’s squad avoided its 100th loss.
Meantime, the Halos are very much playing out the string. The club clinched its sixth straight losing season on Sunday, with the only factor of interest the rest of the way being the status of Shohei Ohtani and his chase for the American League MVP. The 27-year-old two-way star — who is third in the majors with 45 homers — went 0-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday’s loss.
Angels vs Rangers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels | -140 | -1.5 (+1200) | Over 9 (+100) |
| Texas Rangers | +120 | +1.5 (-140) | Under 9 (-120) |
Odds as of September 29h at DraftKings.
Probable Pitchers
On the mound, the Angels send Alex Cobb (8-3, 3.46) to face Glenn Otto (0-3, 8.02).
Only four of Cobb’s 15 starts between April 3-July 23 were quality outings before wrist inflammation landed him on the injured list for nearly two months. But manager Joe Maddon’s club went 10-5 in those starts and he was a veteran presence to a young staff. Since returning two weeks ago, the former Tampa Bay Ray has completely shut down a pair of playoff teams. Cobb has gone 1-0 with an 0.88 ERA in LA victories over the White Sox and Astros.
Cobb vs Otto Key Stats
| 8-3 | Record | 0-3 |
| 3.46 | ERA | 8.02 |
| 3.72 | xERA | 5.02 |
| 1.23 | WHIP | 1.55 |
| 3.00 | SO/W | 3.71 |
In his last outing Thursday, the 33-year-old went 5.1 innings, allowing only four hits, an earned run and three walks while striking out four in an eventual 3-2 win over Houston.
Alex Cobb over his last 6 starts (4 before his injury, 2 after):
35.1 IP
1.02 ERA (4 ERs)
1.14 WHIP
.205/.282/.236 opposing slashline
30 Ks
4-2 team recordI’m thinking it might be time to make #ExtendCobb a thing pic.twitter.com/BzaYh9Z4kP
— Halos Heaven (@halosheaven) September 24, 2021
Cobb is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA in nine road starts this season. In five day game starts, he has a 3-1 record and 4.50 ERA.
As for Otto, the 25-year-old rookie was inserted into the rotation August 27th and is simply gaining starting experience. The big right-hander — acquired in the Joe Gallo deal with the Yankees at the deadline — has yet to get into the sixth inning in his first five starts. Otto went five innings against Baltimore last Thursday, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk while striking out seven in an eventual 3-0 defeat.
Glenn Otto: First pitcher to make his first 5 MLB appearances with the Rangers and lose 3 of them since Edinson Volquez in 2005.
— Doug Kern (@dakern74) September 24, 2021
Otto is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in a pair of home starts this season. He has yet to make any day game starts in 2021 — but in three of his starts on grass, he has gone 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA.
AL Worst
Ten years ago, these two franchises were the class of the American League West. Entering play Wednesday, they were a combined 52 games out of first place. All eyes will be on Ohtani Thursday, who is trying to make one more statement to the baseball writers he deserves the AL MVP for arguably the single-most unique season in MLB history. Prior to Wednesday’s game, he’d gone 16-for-73 (.219) with three home runs and eight RBI in September. He’s been getting the Barry Bonds treatment of late, being walked 14 times in his last five games prior to Wednesday. Maybe this is why.
Players with 45+ HR, 20+ SB and 6+ triples in a season:
Willie Mays (1955)
Shohei Ohtani (2021) pic.twitter.com/1RbpLQJg1j— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 26, 2021
Otto retired him twice when these same two teams played September 3rd, inducing a pair of ground balls — one them being a GIDP. Look for the Japanese import to leave the Metroplex in style in the series finale.
Texas Rangers vs Alex Cobb
| Rangers Batters | Batting Average vs Alex Cobb |
|---|---|
| Willie Calhoun | .500 |
| Isiah Kiner Falefa | 1.000 |
| Adolis Garcia | .000 |
| Nathaniel Lowe | .500 |
| Brock Holt | .286 |
Cobb has faced five Texas batters in Thursday’s probable lineup. They’ve gone a combined 8-for-22 (.364) against him with Brock Holt owning a career 4-for-14 (.286) mark against him that includes a double.
The player Cobb needs to be careful with is Ibanez. He had gone .418 in his last 21 games prior to Wednesday’s action with multiple hits in 13 of his last 20.
Angels vs Rangers Pick
In a game that’s a practical push on paper, I’d typically be inclined to fade the favorite and go with the home team. But Otto has done nothing to particularly stand out so far.
On the contrary, Cobb has been filthy of late. Plus, Ohtani is due for a Texas-size denouement. For those reasons, I like the Halos in this spot.
The Pick: Angels moneyline (-140)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
