by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Apr 15, 2022
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Where to watch: Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Southwest
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Angels -120, Rangers +100
BetMGM: Angels -120, Rangers +100
Caesars: NL
Season record
Angels: 3-4
Rangers: 2-4
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Angels - Rangers preview and analysis
Leave it to the Texas Rangers to pick, of all days, the one where Shohei Ohtani pitches to score all the runs and also have good enough pitching to not blow such a gigantic lead. This is why baseball is great and hilarious all at the same time.
The Rangers will try to take the first two from the Angels in their four-game series at Globe Life Field on Friday, following Texas’ emphatic 10-5 win against Ohtani and the Angels in the opener Thursday.
Things weren’t looking great for the Rangers early on. Dane Dunning, who got the start but lasted only 3.2 innings, gave up a monster 472-foot homer to Mike Trout in the top of the first. As expected with the Rangers’ pitching, if there was a time for the Angels’ big bats to break out of their slump, it would’ve been now.
Unfortunately for the Angels, that’s all they could muster. Ohtani, Trout, Jared Walsh and Anthony Rendon each had only one hit. Trout couldn’t take advantage of the momentum he built. Brandon Marsh pushed the lead to 2-0 in the first and things were already in cruise control for Ohtani taking the mound.
Then came along a young man named Jonah who took down the whale named Shohei. Rangers catcher Jonah Heim took an 0-2 pitch to right field for a grand slam, and suddenly the Rangers had a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second.
That’s not all Heim would do. He added an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to give him a career-high 5 RBI. He even came around to score one more time when Corey Seager hit his first home run as a Ranger in the bottom of the fourth for a 7-2 lead.
Ironically enough, that’s Seager’s first homer as a Ranger in that park but his eighth considering all the mashing he did in the COVID bubble season that led to the World Series.
"I was a little jacked up on my first two swings trying to do a little too much," Heim said. "[Ohtani’s] stuff was good. Luckily he just kind of left one a little up for me, and I put a good swing on it."
Ohtani is now 0-2 to start the season with losses to both Texas division rivals, yet it’s weird to see the Angels still slow to wake up out of the box. The Rangers aren’t likely to win this series, but it definitely shows they have the ability to get to L.A.’s pitching if this offense continues to rake at this efficiency.
And if the Rangers can get to left-hander Reid Detmers on Friday, they’ll inch closer back to .500. As of now, the projected starter is Matt Bush for Texas, which would normally be the spot for Jon Gray but he’s currently on the 10-day IL with a blister.
"I thought I made a couple of good splitters ... obviously the one I gave up the grand slam just hung up there," Ohtani said through his translator.
"His command wasn't as sharp. He started out with a good velocity. Then that came down a bit, but an 0-2 grand slam from a No. 9 hitter on one of his best pitches is really unusual," manager Joe Maddon said. "He wasn't on top of this game. It's going to happen."
Prediction
For the talk of the Rangers’ pitching, anything beyond Ohtani and Noah Syndergaard is a question mark. And unless Detmers throws his best stuff, it wouldn’t shock me to see the Rangers take advantage of another pitcher. They did well in this first part, and I’d expect them to do it again in Part II. Rangers win 8-5
Betting trends
Angels are 21-27 on the road the past three seasons when the ML is between +125 and -125.
Angels are 49-71 against division opponents the past three seasons.
Rangers are 35-50 the past three seasons against left-handed starters.
Projected lineup
Angels:
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Jack Mayfield (R) 2B
Max Stassi (R) C
Matt Duffy (R) 1B
Jo Adell (R) RF
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mike Trout (R) CF
Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
Jack Mayfield (R) 2B
Max Stassi (R) C
Matt Duffy (R) 1B
Jo Adell (R) RF
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
Andrew Velazquez (S) SS
Rangers:
Brad Miller (L) LF
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) C
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Andy Ibanez (R) 3B
Willie Calhoun (L) DH
Brad Miller (L) LF
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) C
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Andy Ibanez (R) 3B
Willie Calhoun (L) DH
Starting pitchers
LAA: Shohei Ohtani (0-1, 1.93 ERA)
TEX: Dane Dunning (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
Statistical leaders
Angels:
Batting average: Brandon Marsh -- .333
Hits: Jared Walsh -- 7
Home runs: Mike Trout -- 2
RBI: Brandon Marsh -- 6
Wins: Michael Lorenzen -- 1
Saves: Raisel Iglesias -- 1
ERA: Shohei Ohtani -- 7.56
Rangers:
Batting average: Nathaniel Lowe -- .348
Hits: Corey Seager -- 9
Home runs: Two tied -- 2
RBI: Jonah Heim -- 8
Wins: Two tied -- 1
Saves: N/A
ERA: Dane Dunning -- 5.19
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
