Angels vs. Rangers Odds, Picks, Predictions: Take the Under with Ohtani & Dunning Dueling (Wednesday, May 18)
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images. Pictured: Andrew Velazquez #4 of the Los Angeles Angels.
- The Texas Rangers (16-19) host the Los Angeles Angels (24-15) for the final game of a three-game series.
- The Angels dropped each of the previous two games and have lost four of their past seven contests, but could that trend reverse with Ohtani on the mound?
- Check out our MLB betting preview, which includes updated odds, picks and predictions.
Angels vs. Rangers Odds
| Angels Odds | -179 |
| Rangers Odds | +165 |
| Over/Under | 7.5 (+100 / -120) |
| Time | 8:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via WynnBET. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
The Rangers are heating up after three straight wins, and they'll look for the three-game sweep of the Angels on Wednesday night. With Shohei Ohtani on the mound, can Los Angeles finally get back on track? Let's take a closer look at this matchup.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have done well to insert themselves into the conversation for the AL West, but they've hit a slight snag over the last week or so. LA has now dropped four of its last seven games, including the first two of this series against Texas.
Despite the team's recent losses, the Angels have hit the ball very well during the last two weeks. They rank seventh in wRC+ and have registered a hard-hit ball in 41% of batted-ball events, which ranks eighth during the same period of time.
On the other hand, however, the Angels have walked just 8.7% of the time in the last couple of weeks with a 26.2% strikeout rate — the second-highest in baseball. Los Angeles has produced some runs with dangerous contact, but it's a stretch to claim it's putting together good at-bats.
Luckily for the Halos, they may not need much offense here. That's because the Angels will be throwing Shohei Ohtani, whose 35.4% strikeout rate ranks in the top 5% of the league, as does his total whiff rate.
Ohtani has allowed a hefty number of barrels, but the hard-hit rate and walks have declined year over year. Overall, he has pitched to just a 2.51 xERA which demonstrates his ability to pitch around hard-hit balls.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers counter with Dane Dunning, who hasn't been quite as good as Ohtani this season. Dunning has posted a 4.07 ERA in seven starts, sporting below-average exit velocity numbers with strikeout and walk rates that are ever-so-slightly better than the league average — by just a few points.
Dunning has already faced the Angels this season, and the outing could have gone a lot better. Frankly it could have gone a lot worse, too.
The righty yielded six hits, two walks and a home run, but he escaped with only two runs charged to his name through 3 2/3 innings. Further, he was aided by the Angels' seven strikeouts against him.
What are the Rangers doing at the dish at the moment? Well, not a lot.
They're down in 20th when it comes to walk rate during the last two weeks, they have one of the five worst strikeout rates in MLB, and they've registered a 91 wRC+. This is a below-average offense that should only struggle more with Ohtani on the bump.
Angels vs. Rangers Pick
I don't like this spot for the Rangers.
Texas is a high-strikeout team going against one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. The only way through Ohtani is a hefty amount of contact, because he does give up plenty of barrels. However, without the consistent contact, Texas is toast.
On the other hand, Dunning's penchant for the strikeout has gotten him out of plenty of holes. We could see a repeat performance of the last time he faced LA considering the strikeout and walk numbers I referenced earlier in this article.
I think both pitchers can find some success here, so I'll take the under as a result.
Pick: Under 7.5 (-125)
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