Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Predictions, Odds, Picks MLB Opening Day

• Reigning MVP takes the mound for the opener of aces
• Astros look to defend their title
• Mike Trout’s return should bolster Angels

Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Odds

Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction

Shohei Ohtani comes off his MVP season where he dominated the game like nobody ever has. The Astros came up just short in 2021, losing the World Series in 6 games to the Atlanta Braves but even though they lost their All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa seems poised for yet another run. It’s hard to pick the over with two aces on the mound, but it’s also hard to see these potent offenses being held down very long.

We feel like this should be a pick’em, so because there’s more juice on the Astros, we’re going to double down there.

Garcia’s 2022 record: (0-0)

Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends to Watch

• Astros are 19-7 in their last 26 Thursday games
• Astros are 11-4 in their last 15 road games with the total set at 9.0-10.5
• Astros are 2-5 in their last 7 vs American League West
• Astros are 2-6 in their last 8 games as an underdog
• Over is 7-1 in Astros last 8 games as an underdog
• Over is 6-2 in Astros last 8 road games
• Over is 21-10 in the last 31 head-to-head meetings
• Over is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles
• Astros are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Los Angeles
• Angels are 6-15 in their last 21 vs American League West
• Angels are 2-10 in their last 12 home games.
• Angels are 0-5 in their last 5 games as a favorite
• Over is 5-2 in Angels last 7 home games
• Over is 3-1-1 in Angels last 5 overall

Battle of the Aces

One of the best parts of Opening Day — which is a weird phrase to say, because almost everything about it is perfect — is that it’s the matchups of all the best pitchers around the league on the same day. This matchup also just so happens to have two of the more potent lineups in the game, which makes it all the more exciting.

For the Angels, Ohtani toes the rubber coming off the best year of his career. He went 9-2 overall, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and striking out 156 haters across 130.1 innings. Over his final six appearances, Ohtani had four quality starts, going at least seven innings and giving up two runs or fewer in all of them.

Ohtani went 0-1 against Houston in two starts last year, giving up just one run in seven innings in a loss in early May, before one of his worst starts of the year — surrendering six earned in 3.1 innings while giving up a season-high nine hits in September.

He’s countered by Framber Valdez, who frankly isn’t the Astros’ best pitcher (that honor belongs to Justin Verlander, but he’s still getting up to full speed after missing 2021 because of Tommy John surgery).

Valdez, had a very productive season in his own right, going 11-6 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and striking out 125 batters in 134.2 innings. He put up those numbers despite missing all of April and making just one start in May, but should he stay healthy this season, he could go 200 innings.

He went 2-0 against the Angels, giving up four runs in 12 combined innings in two starts in September.

Can Astros Reign Supreme in American League West?

For a handful of years, the Astros have dominated the AL West. The Athletics have punched up every now and then and the Mariners gave a surprise push last season, but on the whole, this is Houston’s division.

That will be put to the test this year, with both Los Angeles and Seattle viable threats to win the division. However it’s a “we need to see it to believe it” with the Angels, who have regularly disappointed for the better part of a decade, haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, and have won precisely zero playoff games with Mike Trout.

Even without Correa, Houston’s lineup looks almost as deep as ever. Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Jordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel, and Kyle Tucker should make up the top six spots in the order. That’s enough firepower to compete with anybody on any day  — and if they’re in the hunt in the middle of the summer (which they should be) don’t rule out adding something else to this team.

But as far as Thursday, that’s a number of guys who can work a count and the key to this game will just be getting Ohtani off the mound as quickly as possible. Anything less than six innings is considered a win in that regard.

Time to Capitalize on Trout

As fans of baseball, the sentence we wrote in the last section really hurts, but it’s true. Mike Trout has never won a postseason game. He’s made every All-Star team since 2012, has won MVP three times, finished as runner-up four times, and is in the top five on two other occasions.

Last year was the first time he didn’t place top five in a decade and that’s because he was injured for the vast majority of the season, only able to play in 36 games.

The lineup, on paper, looks quite good this season yet again. Ohtani leading off, Trout batting No. 2, Jared Walsh and Anthony Rendon rounding out the top four, with other capable hitters like Joe Adell and David Fletcher threw in there.

It’s a right-handed heavy lineup in L.A., which should be good against Valdez, but the Angels are just 3-6 in their last nine opening days (granted they’re 2-0 in the last two) so it’s hard to bet on them coming out of the gate strong.

How to Watch Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Angels