Angels-Rangers prediction, pick, how to watch

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13 June 2023

Angels-Rangers prediction, pick, how to watch

The Los Angeles Angels (37-31) visit the Texas Rangers (41-24) for the second of a four-game series between the division rivals. First pitch commences Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. ET. The Angels jumped out to an early series lead thanks to their 9-6 win in yesterday's opener. Below we continue our MLB odds series with an Angels-Rangers prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Here are the Angels-Rangers MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Angels-Rangers Odds

Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-166)

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+138)

Over: 9.5 (-112)

Under: 9.5 (-108)

How To Watch Angels vs. Rangers

TV: Bally Sports

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 8:05 p.m. ET/ 5:05 p.m. PT

*See how to watch Angels-Rangers LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 7-4 (Third in the AL West)

Run Line Record: 34-34 (50%)

Over Record: 33-31-4 (52%)

The Angels have quietly hung around in the AL West. Despite most of the attention being on the Rangers' ascension this season, LA sits just 5.5 games back after stealing last night's series opener. The Angels have gotten off to a strong start in June with wins in seven of their first 11 games. They swept the Cubs and took 2/3 from the Mariners prior to this series and are in a strong position to come away with a series win after yesterday's win. Still, the Angels trot an inexperienced starter onto the bump tonight and thus need their own offense to show up again if they want to cover.

Righty Jaime Barria (2-2) makes his fourth start of the season for the Angels tonight. Although he began his career as a starter, he's bounced in and out of the Angels' rotation over the last few seasons – notably appearing in 34 games as a reliever while starting just a single game last season. However, he's been back in the rotation over the last few weeks with overall strong results. Barria's allowed just two runs in 15 innings across his three starts – with both starts coming in his most recent outing against the Cubs.

Barria's underlying numbers are dominant – sitting in the 98th percentile in Hard Hit Rate allowed and the 92nd percentile in Barrel Rate allowed. That lack of quality contact shows up in his ratios as Barria owns a stellar 1.85 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Still, he faces a tough matchup tonight against the first-place Rangers. However, Barria did hold them to just three hits and no earned runs in 4.0 innings last month.

The Angels' offense has really hit its stride in recent games as they've averaged 4.8 runs per game through 11 June appearances. That starts with superstar Shohei Ohtani. Over his last 11 games, Ohtani went 18/46 (.391) while cranking out five home runs and 39 total bases. He's hardly been the only Angel heating up this month as both Zack Neto (1.097 OPS) and Tyler Ward (.909 OPS) have been happy to see the calendar flip to June.

Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (First in the AL West)

Run Line Record: 41-24 (63%)

Over Record: 38-25-2 (60%)

The Rangers have hit something of a cold spell over the last week – dropping four of their last five games. Still, they put up six runs in last night's opener and had a good chance to win before falling apart in the 12th inning. They should be able to put up runs again tonight but will need their rookie starter to step up if they want to cover as 1.5-run favorite tonight.

Lefty Cody Bradford (0-1) makes his third start of the season for the Rangers tonight. The 25-year-old rookie gave up six runs in 5.0 innings against the Braves before settling down in his second start against the Orioles. In Baltimore, Bradford allowed just two runs on five hits in 5.0 innings. Texas's No. 26 prospect, Bradford features a strong fastball and changeup combination but doesn't have a go-to breaking ball quite yet. Still, he was dominant in Triple-A this season. In 59.1 innings, he compiled an 8-1 record to go along with a 1.82 ERA and 50 strikeouts. Both of his first two big-league starts came against strong offenses and tonight doesn't get any easier. In addition to averaging the seventh-most runs per game, the Angels are better against lefties (.785 OPS) compared to righties (.755 OPS).

Texas boasts the highest-scoring offense in the league while simultaneously ranking third in OPS and fifth in isolated power. Consequently, the Rangers feature strong options up and down their lineup. However, Corey Seager has been on a different level of late. Over their last 10 games, Seager went 17/41 (.415) while collecting a team-high 28 total bases. He owns an eye-popping 1.161 OPS over that span and should have more success tonight considering he leads the team with a 1.026 OPS against righties this season.