Rays vs. Angels prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The Tampa Bay Rays take on the Los Angeles Angels. Our MLB odds series has our Rays Angels prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rays Angels.
The Los Angeles Angels have roughly 40 games — one-fourth of their 162-game schedule — left in the season. That's 40 games over a month and a half to make one final push at a wild card spot which is steadily slipping away. The Angels have been a bad team after the All-Star break, and more particularly after the trade deadline and their flurry of acquisitions for both pitching and hitting help. It simply hasn't worked out, especially on the hitting side. Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron have failed to help Shohei Ohtani in the Halos' bid to keep Ohtani in the organization on a long-term basis. The Angels admirably gambled on the season instead dealing Ohtani for a huge haul. They wanted to try to make the playoffs and see what they could achieve with their superstar. The deals they made simply haven't worked out.
The Tampa Bay Rays are headed for the playoffs. They are comfortably ahead in the wild card race and would have to implode down the stretch in order to miss the postseason. They went through some very tough times in July but have stabilized in terms of wins and losses. However, they are dealing with off-field problems right now. Shane McClanahan is out for both this season and 2024 after needing Tommy John surgery. Wander Franco, the very talented young infielder for the club, is under investigation by Major League Baseball and is not only unavailable to play, but could potentially be banned by baseball for life if the findings of this investigation turn out to be as serious as some rumors have suggested.
The Rays have to block out those distractions as their season continues with this weekend series in Anaheim.
Here are the Rays-Angels MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Rays-Angels Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+155)
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-188)
Over: 9.5 (-120)
Under: 9.5 (-102)
How To Watch Rays vs. Angels
TV: Bally Sports Sun (Rays) / Bally Sports West (Angels) / MLB Extra Innings
For the inside story on the 24 people banned from MLB, listen below:
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:38 p.m. ET/6:38 p.m. PT
*Watch Rays-Angels LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The The Angels have crumbled in August. They just aren't getting enough of anything from their roster. Their middle relief has been poor and their hitting has not been able to make up the difference. None of the players they traded for at the deadline have been high-impact additions. No one has been playing at a star level. No one has been injecting extra life into the offense, leaving Shohei Ohtani out on an island.
The Rays, meanwhile, have done well to deal with the huge black clouds hanging over the franchise this week, as noted above. The different stories on Shane McClanahan and Wander Franco could easily hijack the attention spans and the morale of a lot of teams, but the Rays calmly won two out of three games against the San Francisco Giants, a team which could make the National League playoffs. The Rays can look mortal at times, but they rarely get rattled. Playing on the road far away from St. Petersburg, Fla., might be the best thing to happen for them right now. Playing at home might have been far worse for their frame of mind.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
The Angels are well behind in the chase for the last wild card playoff spot in the American League. They know they need to at least be competitive in the playoff chase in mid-September to keep Shohei Ohtani for the long haul. No one expects them to grab that playoff spot, but with 40 games left, there is still time for the Angels to go 15-5 in their next 20 games and make it a conversation heading into the final 20 games of the season. Time is running out, but it hasn't fully run out yet. You could see the Angels make their last push in this weekend series. Moreover, the Rays' pitching injuries — there have been a ton of them — leave Tampa Bay shorthanded in its rotation. The Angels can capitalize on that.
Final Rays-Angels Prediction & Pick
The Angels need to win, and the Rays' pitching rotation is shorthanded, but Tampa Bay knows how to get the job done. This feels like a coin flip. Just stay away from this game.
Final Rays-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels +1.5
