Angels vs Rays Prediction
Tampa Bay Rays (93-60) vs Los Angeles Angels (69-83)
Game Info: Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 1:10 pm (Tropicana Field)
Zach Eflin (15-8) (3.44) vs Griffin Canning (7-7) (4.42)
Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -245 / Los Angeles Angels +218 --- Over/Under: 7.5
The Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays clash Thursday in game 3 of an MLB series at Tropicana Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
The Angels need a win after losing 6 of their last 7 games. The Angeles are the fourth AL team eliminated from playoff contention. The Angels pitching staff is 23rd in ERA (4.69), 25th in WHIP (1.42) and 22nd in quality starts (46). The Angels' offense is 15th in runs per game (4.61), 18th in batting average (.245) and 3rd in homers (220). Shohei Ohtani leads the Angels with 151 hits and 95 RBI, while Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo have combined for 218 hits and 126 RBI. Griffin Canning gets the ball, and he is 7-7 with a 4.42 ERA and 127 strikeouts this season. Canning is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA and 16 strikeouts in his career against the Rays.
Los Angeles Angels Team Facts
- The Angels have lost each of their last five games against American League opponents following a road win.
- The Angels have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games as road underdogs against American League opponents following a road win.
- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Angels' last three day games at Tropicana Field.
- The Angels have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last four road day games.
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
The Rays need a win after losing 3 of their last 4 games. The Rays are 2.5 games back in the AL West. The Rays pitching staff is 4th in ERA (3.90), 1st in WHIP (1.16) and 17th in quality starts (49). The Rays' offense is 4th in runs per game (5.25), 9th in batting average (.257) and 5th in homers (217). Yandy Diaz leads the Rays with 164 hits and 75 RBI, while Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco have combined for 261 hits and 141 RBI. Zach Eflin gets the ball, and he is 15-8 with a 3.44 ERA and 172 strikeouts this season. Eflin is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 10 strikeouts in his career against the Angels.
Tampa Bay Rays Team Facts
- The Rays have won each of their last 13 Thursday day games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
- The Rays have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games at Tropicana Field.
- The Rays have led after 3 innings in each of their last three day games against American League opponents.
- The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Rays' last five games as home favorites against AL West opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Tampa Bay Rays rank 1st in the league for runs allowed this season (609).
- The Tampa Bay Rays are one of only 2 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both steals and batting average this season.
- The Los Angeles Angels rank 3rd in the league for home runs this season (220).
- The Los Angeles Angels rank 28th in the league for steals this season (71).
Randy’s Pick
As Ive mentioned in previous write-ups, the Angels aren't a team I'm eager to back as they let key guys walk, their two best players have been dealing with injuries, and they look like a team ready for the season to end. The Rays are fighting for a division title and cant afford to let games like this slip away, especially at home. Zach Eflin has been solid all year with a 3.44 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Eflin has a 3.28 ERA and .235 allowed batting average at home. Give me the Rays and the RL for max betting value.
The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
