Clear reason to support the home team
Two of the best teams in the American League meet tonight when the Los Angeles Angels host the Toronto Blue Jays to start a four-game series. This game has no shortage of superstars.
Toronto’s Hyun Jin Ryu and Angel of All Purpose star Shohei Ohtani are set to debut the series. There are a few bets worth making, with all odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Angels’ pick vs. Blue Jays (9:38 p.m. ET, Fox Sports West)
OVER 7.5 runs (-105)
Ohtani on the mound isn’t a great start for most, but it’s balanced by Ryu and his 6.00 ERA this season. Ryu has only four starts under his belt so far, totaling 18.0 IP. He came through the sixth inning in his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds without giving up a single run, but let’s be honest, this is the Reds we’re talking about.
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The Reds entered the third-lowest batting average in MLB on Thursday, hitting just .216 on the season with 167 total runs scored, which ranks them 23rd out of 30 teams in the big league. Ryu conquering them isn’t exactly a huge feat — even though they snagged 20 on the Cubs in an afternoon game.
In his other three starts this year, Ryu failed to pitch more than 4.2 innings, threw no more than four strikeouts in a game this year, averaged 10.5 hits by nine innings and has a WHIP of 1.333. Against a powerhouse Angels roster that scored the fourth-most points this season while featuring a scorching Mike Trout, Ryu could be in trouble.
On the other hand, Ohtani is a superstar, but Angles’ bullpen isn’t exactly dominant — the Los Angeles relievers have a combined 3.86 ERA, which ranks 12th in the majors. They also gave up 22 homers this season, ranking sixth. The Blue Jays are capable of activating the offense, and on a warm evening with the wind blowing down center left in California, the points could come in bunches tonight.
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Angels -1.5 (+125)
Based on a lot of information above, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Angels can take an early lead in this game. Getting more money for the Angels to win by two points at home is a bet I’m personally going to make.
The Angels are 12-4 in their last 16 home games. The total has topped four of the Angels’ last five games against Toronto. It also helps that the Angels are strong against lefties, which Ryu is one of. Just looking at Mike Trout as an example, the MVP outfielder has a .455 batting average, .909 slugging percentage and 1,500 OPS against lefties this year.
I don’t think Ryu will come out of the fifth inning tonight, and with a scorching home team getting more money to cover against a pitcher who’s struggled this season, I’m more than happy to make that bet.
New York Post
