The Los Angeles Angels (64-83) take one of the lightest-hitting lineups in the league on the road to face the Texas Rangers (63-83) at Globe Life Field on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game series. The Angels are playing their first of six games on the road. They won three out of four in their last series against the Mariners, dropping the finale 9-1 on Monday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a double and one run. The Rangers are returning home for a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Rays in their last series, dropping the finale 5-3 on Sunday at Tropicana Field. Josh Jung went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Rangers have won eight of 13 in the season series between the AL West rivals, including a 5-2 victory in their most recent meeting on July 31 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Brock Burke got the win with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Jonathan Hernandez picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Mike Mayers (1-1, 4.91 ERA) is slated to start for Los Angeles. The right-hander allowed one run in one inning of relief in his last appearance, a 9-1 home defeat against the Mariners on Monday. He yielded one hit while striking out two. Over four previous appearances against the Rangers this season, Mayers has allowed four earned runs over 5.2 innings (1-0, 6.35). He has struck out seven and walked two. LHP Cole Ragans (0-2, 5.68 ERA) will take the mound for Texas. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Angels. In his last start on September 13, Ragans took a no-decision at home against the Athletics. He threw four innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits, striking out five and walking one in the 8-7 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Los Angeles offense is averaging 3.8 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in the league, with a slash line of .229/.294/.387. Ohtani leads the team in OPS at .891. He is slashing .266/.357/.534 with 34 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 83 runs over 142 games. Against southpaws like Ragans this season, the Halos have a .666 OPS. Mike Trout is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a 1.084 OPS in 100 at-bats. Texas is slashing .242/.305/.400 for the season and averaging 4.5 runs per game. Nathaniel Lowe leads the team with a .866 OPS. The first baseman has 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 67 runs scored with a slash line of .308/.363/.504. The Rangers have a .684 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .821 OPS over 370 at-bats, Lowe also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Los Angeles is on a four-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 30-42 in 2022. The Halos have scored 3.6 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.1 runs. Texas has gone 30-41 at Globe Life Field this season, averaging 4.3 runs per game while surrendering 5.0. Texas is 6-4 in the last 10 games at Globe Life Field between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.8-5.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Angels are third in the AL West, 31 games behind the division-leading Astros. The Rangers are fourth in the AL West, 32 games behind the Astros.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Los Angeles Angels (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
