Angels vs. Rangers prediction and odds for Tuesday, August 15 (Trust Texas' offense)

The Texas Rangers just kept pouring it on yesterday in a 12-0 win at home over the Los Angeles Angels. Max Scherzer dominated even more than the Texas offense last night and tonight the other starting pitcher the Rangers acquired at the deadline, Jordan Montgomery will try to do the same. 

The Angels fell to 59-61 with the loss and will send its deadline acquisition, Lucas Giolito to the mound. Giolito is 7-8 with a 4.37 ERA in his 24 starts this season and Montgomery is 7-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 starts. Giolito has gone three times for LA and Montgomery has pitched twice for the first place Rangers, who enter at 71-48.

Here are the odds for this AL West matchup. 

Angels vs. Rangers odds, run line and total

Angels vs. Rangers prediction and pick

Giolito was shelled by Atlanta in his second start for the Angels and that’s the only lineup in baseball better than the one that Texas will run out there tonight. The Rangers are second to Atlanta in runs and OPS this year. They displayed that firepower last night when Marcus Semien drove in five runs from the leadoff spot. 

In August, Semien is hitting .353 with four home runs and is slugging .667. They haven’t even missed All-Star Jonah Heim who has been out with injury because Mitch Garver has a 1.155 OPS this month and is hitting .400. Heim is back now, so even with All-Star third baseman Josh Jung still out, they have an embarrassment of riches. 

I do worry a bit about how Jordan Montgomery will pitch against the Angels, who are solid against lefties, despite their two best hitters being left-handed. Shohei Ohtani still does damage left-on-left and Taylor Ward has 12 extra base hits off lefties. Mickey Moniak will likely get the day off which will hurt the lineup, but the Angels have enough right-handed hitters to still do damage against Montgomery who has a very concerning 4.23 xERA this year. 

Montgomery has a 36th percentile strikeout rate along with a 33rd percentile xSLG of .420. To me that says his ERA won’t stay in the low threes for much longer. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change