The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will wrap up their four-game weekend series on Sunday night. The game will be featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The Angels have taken two of the first three games in this series.
The Houston Astros continue to lead the American League West Division but by the slimmest of margins. Houston has a slim 2.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics heading into the final month of the season. The Los Angeles Angels will miss the playoffs in 2018 but have pieces to build on for the future. The Houston Astros are -187 over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday Night Baseball.
Ohtani Makes Return To Pitching
Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will make his return to the pitching mound on Sunday night. Ohtani will be making just his 10th start of the season for the Angels after missing several months with an elbow strain. He has been impressive on the mound this season, going 4-1 with a 3.10 earned run average this season. Ohtani will face a tough challenge against a solid Astros lineup on Sunday night.
Andrelton Simmons and Justin Upton have started to produce for the Los Angeles Angels offense. Simmons blasted a two-run homer on Friday night that gave the Angels the victory. He has 138 hits to lead the team. Upton leads the team with 75 runs batted in and was the Angels biggest run producer during Mike Trout’s recent absence. Los Angeles has a solid offense that can challenge the Astros in this game.
Astros Finally Healthy
The Houston Astros were able to stay afloat in the month of August despite having several of their core players injured. With Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer all back in the lineup, the Astros will look to win another AL West crown. Alex Bregman has been the MVP of the Astros offense this season, as he continued to produce when the team was without starters.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole will make the start for the Astros on Sunday night. Cole has been effective in his first season with the Astros. He is 12-5 with a 2.85 earned run average in his first season in the American League. Cole will hope to pitch the Astros to a series split on Sunday night.
Houston Spoils Ohtani’s Return
The Los Angeles Angels will welcome Ohtani back to the starting rotation on Sunday night. Ohtani is the future ace of the Angels rotation and has had an impressive first season in the Major Leagues. The Angels have played the Astros tough this weekend and will try to win the series on Sunday.
Houston is in need of a solid month of September to clinch the AL West. The Astros are finally healthy, and their offense should carry them in the final month of the season. Look for the Astros to spoil Ohtani’s return on Sunday and earn the series split. The Houston Astros are the team to bet here. Take the Astros -187 over the Angels on Sunday.
