Astros vs Angels Picks, Odds, and Betting Lines (August 15)
- The Houston Astros are -190 road favorites over the LA Angels on Sunday (August 15th, 4:07 pm ET)
- Lance McCullers Jr. (9-3, 3.22 ERA) will start for Houston, while LA will counter with rookie Reid Detmers (0-2, 10.61 ERA)
- Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction
The AL West leading Houston Astros will look to complete the three-game sweep of the LA Angels on Sunday (August 15th) at Angel Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07 pm ET, and the weather in Anaheim as usual looks perfect. Sunshine and 90 degree temperatures are in the forecast, with light winds out of the southwest.
Astros vs Angels Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | -190 | -1.5 (-125) | O 9.5 (-115) |
| LA Angels | +160 | +1.5 (+105) | U 9.5 (-105) |
Odds as of August 14th at DraftKings.
Houston enters play with the best record in the American League, and not surprisingly opened up as a heavy favorite. The Astros will send 9-game winner Lance McCullers to the mound, while the Angels will counter with rookie Reid Detmers.
Probable Pitchers
Detmers will make just his third career start on Sunday, after two rough outings earlier this month. The 2020 10th overall pick, has been rocked in each of his two appearances, surrendering 11 runs in just 9.1 innings.
Reid Detmers – who was born 1 month after Albert Pujols was drafted by the Cardinals – is the 440th pitcher to allow a HR to the future Hall of Famer. https://t.co/xHst8uPoN3
— Chris Meaney (@chrismeaney) August 8, 2021
In his defense, those two starts were against the Dodgers and Athletics, two of the top-six teams in the league, but things won’t get any easier for the left-hander against the Astros.
McCullers Jr. vs Detmers
| 9-3 | Record | 0-2 |
| 3.22 | ERA | 10.61 |
| 1.26 | WHIP | 1.82 |
| .205 | OBA | .310 |
| 2.4 | SO/W Ratio | 1.8 |
Houston leads the league in runs, batting average and OPS+, and hit lefties harder than they do righties. The Astros’ batting average and OPS is higher versus southpaws, and they just smacked around Angels Patrick Sandoval on Friday en route to a victory in the series opener.
Kyle Tucker GRAND SLAM
(via @astros)pic.twitter.com/XB3xzvjL2A
— Stadium (@Stadium) August 14, 2021
Detmers is a prized prospect, but so far he’s had major trouble keeping players off the bases and the ball in the ballpark. He’s allowed 17 baserunners through his 9.1 innings or work, and three home runs.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Astros Batters | Batting Average vs LAA | Angels Batters | Batting Average vs McCullers Jr. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Altuve | .231 | Adam Eaton | .000 |
| Michael Brantley | .344 | David Fletcher | .364 |
| Carlos Correa | .351 | Jose Iglesias | .625 |
| Yordan Alvarez | .256 | Shohei Ohtani | .100 |
| Aledmys Diaz | .231 | Kurt Suzuki | .000 |
| Yuli Gurriel | .324 | Justin Upton | .300 |
| Chas McCormick | .200 | Jared Walsh | .000 |
Houston will counter with McCullers Jr, who’s been a bit Jekyll and Hyde as of late. He’s given up at least four runs in three of his past four starts, but also pitched six shutout innings against the Dodgers over that stretch.
Lance McCullers, Filthy Sliders. 😷 pic.twitter.com/wEsLWz54bs
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 8, 2021
Last time out, he surrendered eight hits, four runs, and two homers to the lowly Minnesota Twins, failing to make it out of the 5th inning for the first time in two months.
Despite the shaky recent track record, he’s owned the Angels this season. He’s 1-0, with a 1.93 ERA in two starts, throwing eight innings of one-run ball in his last matchup with the Halos.
They keep on coming for Shohei Ohtani 💣
3️⃣8️⃣ (via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/TGgKOnRFki
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 12, 2021
He’ll of course have to deal with AL MVP favorite Shoehi Ohtani, who smacked his 39th home run on Saturday. So far in 2021 though, McCullers has gotten the best of Ohtani holding him to one hit in 10 at-bats, with four strikeouts.
LA’s offense as whole has struggled badly recently, scoring three or fewer runs in four of its past five outings.
Astros vs Angels Pick
So far this season, the Astros versus Angles rivalry has been a one-sided affair. Houston has taken eight of the 11 meetings so far, outscoring LA 71-31.
Sunday’s contest sets up as another favorable matchup for the Astros, especially early on. Nothing we’ve seen from Detmers at the big league level suggests he’s ready to be a full-time starter yet, and a date with the league’s most potent offense isn’t going to change that.
Jake can rake. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/iMgD89xi4M
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 15, 2021
Expect Houston to jump all over him early, just like the Dodgers and Athletics did. For that reason, take the Astros -1 over the first 5 innings.
Pick: Houston Astros -1 1st 5 Innings (+100)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
