On Wednesday, we watched as Mike Trout's absence caused absurd line movement for the Angels-Brewers matchup. And I'm not talking 10 cents, 20 cents or even 30 cents. I'm talking about a 54-cent move, as the Angels opened at +101 and closed at +155.
Most of this was market reaction, as the books didn't spike the line 50 cents the second Trout was declared out of the lineup, but it is still a staggeringly crazy line move for a position player. Certainly an overreaction too, and those who rode with the inflated Angels line were rewarded with a win.
Today, the Angels take on the Cubs at Wrigley in an Interleague affair. The line opened -155/+138 in the Cubs' favor with Trout listed as questionable, while the total opened up at a lofty 10.5 — before moving to 11 — thanks to whipping 22-mph winds blowing out to center.
When the Angels' lineup was posted shortly after 10:45 a.m. ET sans Trout, Los Angeles jumped from +138 to +147. In the 20 minutes following the news, the line further moved to +162, with the Cubs up to -180.
With Trout's questionable status certainly baked into the opening line, we're talking about a solid 30-40 cents worth of value. Had Trout been in the lineup, I imagine we'd see the Angels move into the +120 range.
