The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros both have something in common as they open 2026 — riding an MLB playoff drought. The Angels have missed the last 11 in a row, while Houston was left home last October after making eight straight.
My Angels vs. Astros predictions and MLB picks call for Houston to get the Opening Day cover behind their latest ace on the mound in Hunter Brown.
Angels vs Astros predictions
Angels vs Astros best bet: Astros -1.5 (+122)
The Houston Astros have a seemingly bottomless supply of pitching talent. Their latest ace is Hunter Brown, who makes his first Opening Day start after finishing third in last year’s Cy Young voting.
Brown allowed no earned runs in more than 25% of last year’s starts, and allowed just four ER in four Spring Training outings.
Carlos Correa plays his first opener for Houston since 2021. His OPS+ jumped from 94 to 117 after returning at last year’s deadline.
He’s continued the hot hitting in spring (.810 OPS). He’ll team with Cactus League find Joey Loperfido (.831 OPS) in the middle of the order.
COVERS INTEL: Brown allowed a hard-hit percentage of just 32.2% last year, which was in the 97th percentile of pitchers. That should thwart an Angels lineup that was in the Bottom 10 in that category in 2025.
Angels vs Astros same-game parlay (SGP)
Brown ranked in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity allowed in 2025, while the Los Angeles Angels were among the 12 worst teams in making solid contact.
L.A. was also the second worst team — behind the lowly Rockies — in whiff percentage, and dead-last in contact percentage on pitches they chase. Brown is elite in both whiff and chase percentage, so it should be a complete mismatch.
The Astros scored 3.96 runs per game this spring, down a quarter-run from last season. Angels starter Jose Soriano is no slouch, so expect a low-scoring game with Houston supplying almost all the runs.
- Astros -1.5
- Hunter Brown Under 1.5 earned runs allowed
- Under 8
Angels vs Astros home run pick: Christian Walker (+575)
Christian Walker tied for Houston’s spring homer lead and went deep against Soriano in 2024. He's 3-for-9 with a 1.000 OPS in limited matchups with the Angels starter.
The most likely candidate to surrender a homer in this game isn’t a starter, though — it’s the Angels’ bullpen. L.A. relievers gave up as many leads as they preserved last year. Their new additions — Drew Pomeranz, Brent Suter and Jordan Romano — were homer prone, particularly vs. right-handed batters.
Walker hit more homers against the Angels last year than any other team, and he was 5% more likely to homer against a reliever than a starter.
Angels vs Astros odds
- Moneyline: Los Angeles +154 | Houston -184
- Run line: Los Angeles +1.5 | Houston -1.5
- Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Angels vs Astros trend
The Astros have hit the Under in 20 of their last 32 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Astros.
How to watch Angels vs Astros and game info
| Location | Daikin Park, Houston, TX |
| Date | Thursday, March 26, 2026 |
| First pitch | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | FDSN West, Space City Home Network |
| Angels starting pitcher | Jose Soriano (2025: 10-11, 4.26 ERA) |
| Astros starting pitcher | Hunter Brown (2025: 12-9, 2.43 ERA) |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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