Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/7/2022

Game time: 6:38 p.m. ET

Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

Where to watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW, Bally Sports West

DraftKings: Angels -130, Astros +110

BetMGM: Angels -130, Astros +105

Caesars: Angels -125, Astros +105

Astros: 95-67 (1st place, AL West -- Lost World Series vs. Braves)

Angels: 77-85 (4th place, AL West)

It is time again for the Shohei Ohtani Show, and I don’t mean just him being on the cover for MLB The Show 22. But that also is important just for the sake that the global takeover of the best two-way player in the game, and the rebound tour for the Los Angeles Angels will get underway.

But it’s not just Ohtani, the American League MVP who will get the call on Opening Day against the Houston Astros on Thursday. It’s also the return to the lineup for Mike Trout to remind everyone that he’s still the best complete player in the game. There’s also Anthony Rendon returning after his injury-shortened season came to a halt fresh off a championship with the Washington Nationals.

Yet if there’s one thing the Angels are going to hope for throughout this season in hopes of getting back to the top of the AL West, it’s the pitching. Outside of Ohtani, no one was able to be that reliable guy behind him, all the while when Ohtani is raking 46 home runs and driving in 100 RBI.

That’s where the hope of Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen come into play to form out the rotation. Syndergaard gets a new start on a one-year deal with L.A. after spending the first part of his career with the New York Mets. Lorenzen comes over from the Cincinnati Reds and looks to be the utility guy of half-start, half-relief.

Couple all of that together after shelling out $92 million for relievers Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera and Archie Bradley, and this is the first time in a while that the Angels will be formidable on the mound.

“I don’t concern myself with the past, I look at today,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. “We’re a really talented team in a tough division. Houston has been the class of the American League the last five or six years, Seattle has gotten better, Texas has gotten better and Oakland still has some quality players and really good arms. It’s not going to be easy. But with that being said, we have a lot of talent on this roster.”

The talent is undeniable but is the health good enough to get the Angels that far? It seemed like every night when Ohtani was playing, the Angels relied on him to be the everything man that would do what he could to squeeze wins. But without Trout or Rendon, this batting order took a complete nosedive. Jared Walsh was the only other player to eclipse 20 homers (29) last season. Trout and Rendon lasted only 36 and 58 games respectfully.

"All of us are really confident that we'll be able to make the playoffs this year,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “We've had a pretty healthy spring so far compared to last year. I think the biggest thing is staying healthy during the season. As long as we can do that, I like our chances."

And then there are the Astros coming off their third World Series appearance in the last five years, and are beginning a new era without Carlos Correa after he signed with the Minnesota Twins this offseason. They brought back Justin Verlander to be the essential ace of this team, but does Houston have enough talent on the back burner to get back to a World Series?

Lance McCullers Jr. is going to miss the beginning of the season due to a flexor tendon injury, so there will be some questions regarding Houston's pitching rotation in due time. But we cannot forget that Houston still has one of the more stacked lineups in the league led by Jose Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman. Throw in the solid playoff performances from Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel, and the Astros could have the capability to surprise some people under manager Dusty Baker.

Never underestimate a home crowd on opening night. This could go a plethora of ways, but I think the world wants to see their superstar play on both sides of the field, get a win and then start something that should’ve gotten started last year but didn’t. Ohtani pitches, hits a homer and goes home happy. Sounds about right. Angels win 6-4

The Astros are 23-31 (-2.8 units on the money line) as an underdog of +100 or higher the past three seasons.

The Astros are 71-49 (-0.5 net games on the money line) against division opponents the past three seasons.

The Angels are 25-37 (-21.3 net games on ML) when favored between -100 to -150.

Astros:
Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Yordan Alvarez (L) LF
Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B
Michael Brantley (L) DH
Chas McCormick (R) CF
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Martin Maldonado (R) C

Angels:
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Taylor Ward (R) RF
Mike Trout (R) CF
Jose Rojas (L) LF
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Jared Walsh (L) 1B
Max Stassi (R) C
Tyler Wade (L) 2B
David Fletcher (R) SS

HOU: Framber Valdez
LAA: Shohei Ohtani