The Texas Rangers will look to win their fifth straight series when they welcome the Los Angeles Angels to Globe Life Field for the opener of a three-game set on Monday night.
Max Scherzer will make his third start for the Rangers since being acquired from the Mets a few weeks back as the 39-year-old looks to open his tenure with a perfect 3-0 record.
Find out if Scherzer maintains his perfect start with Texas in our MLB picks and predictions for Monday, August 14.
Angels vs Rangers odds
Angels vs Rangers predictions
The Los Angeles Angels picked up a rare win in their last outing as they eked out a 2-1 victory over the Astros on Sunday. Los Angeles has just three wins in its last 12 games, scoring only 42 runs over that span — the seventh-worst mark in the majors in August.
The Angels will have their work cut out for them against Max Scherzer, who’s looked reinvigorated since joining the Texas Rangers. The right-hander wasn’t great in his last two months with the Mets, allowing four-plus earned runs in five of his last 11 starts before the trade, but he’s managed to turn things around early on in his Rangers career. Scherzer gave up three earned runs in his debut with Texas (all in the first inning) but held the Athletics to just three hits and one earned run over seven frames in his most recent outing.
Even with his struggles in New York, Scherzer hasn’t been all that bad, holding opponents to three earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts and one earned run or less in three of those games.
The Angels have scored more than three runs just twice over their last eight games and I suspect we’ll see them struggle to top that number tonight against Scherzer and the Rangers.
My best bet: Angels team total Under 3.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Angels vs Rangers same-game parlay
Angels TT Under 3.5 (-105)
Corey Seager 2+ total bases (+105)
Shohei Ohtani 2+ total bases (+100)
We’ve got a tasty +900 payout on tonight’s same-game parlay as we’re banking on a pair of sluggers to rack up at least a couple of bases.
Corey Seager has been swinging a hot bat for the Rangers, batting .333 in August with a team-leading 30 total bases over that span. Seager has recorded multiple hits in four of his last six and at least two total bases in five of his last seven.
We’ll round out the same-game parlay by making the same bet on Shohei Ohtani — one of the Angels' only offensive bright spots. The 2021 AL MVP has hits in 15 of his last 17 games while recording multiple bases in six of his last 11.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Angels vs Rangers moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Rangers opened as the clear home favorite at -165 on the moneyline and saw their edge climb as high as -195 by Monday morning. Given the way these clubs are trending, it’s hard to go against the chalk.
Texas comes into the series with 10 wins in its last 12 games while averaging 5.25 runs per game in August. Los Angeles has gone the other way with just 3.50 runs per contest this month — a big reason why the Angels have picked up only three wins in their last 12 outings.
While Scherzer isn’t the same pitcher he was four or five years ago, he has looked reinvigorated on a Texas squad that very well may be the favorite to win it all this season.
Tonight’s total settled at 8.5 runs at most books and I’m leaning towards the Under in this one as I suspect both pitchers will have decent outings.
The Angels have actually cashed the Over in four of their last six games despite scoring three or fewer runs in four of those contests — obviously, their pitching hasn’t been great. Patrick Sandoval has been decent on the mound of late, though, holding opponents to two earned runs or less in five straight outings.
Assuming Los Angeles scores about three runs again, will Texas have enough juice to score six-plus against Sandoval and the bullpen? The Rangers have actually slowed down a bit with just 13 runs over their last four games — with nine coming in on Saturday's 9-3 win over the Giants — so don’t be surprised if this is a low-scoring pitcher’s duel.
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Trend to know
The Under 8-2 in the Rangers’ last 10 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Rangers
Angels vs Rangers game info
| Location: | Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX |
| Date: | Monday, August 14, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 8:05 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports West |
Starting pitchers
Patrick Sandoval (6-5, 3.86 ERA): Sandoval put up another solid performance in his last start, scattering five hits and two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings against the Giants on August 7. The right-hander posted a stingy 1.04 ERA across three starts in July and hasn’t allowed more than five hits in a game since late June.
Max Scherzer (11-4, 3.88 ERA): Scherzer is in the midst of his worst statistical season since 2011 but the 39-year-old still has time to turn things around with the Rangers. Scherzer has pitched at least six innings in nine of his last 10 starts and owns a 2.77 ERA through his first two games with Texas.
