The Tampa Bay Rays were scheduled to start ace Chris Archer on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels – but Archer was shockingly dealt with Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Thus, Tampa’s starter for Wednesday’s Angels vs Rays matchup is still TBA vs. the Halos. Check back for Mybookie Sportsbook odds as the game approach.
Tampa made two other trades, sending All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos to Philadelphia and landing outfielder Tommy Pham and international bonus money from the Cardinals for LHP Genesis Cabrera, OF Justin Williams and RHP Roel Ramirez. Pham was sensational in 2017 with 23 homers, 25 steals and a .931 OPS, but he hasn’t been close to that player in 2018 with a .248/.331/.399 line over 396 at-bats. He has hit 14 homers and 10 steals, however. He should be an everyday player for the Rays.
Ramos, 30, was reaching the end of a two-year contract with the Rays, where he signed after spending his early career with the Washington Nationals. He’s batting .297/.346/.488 for the Rays, but he hasn’t played since just before the All-Star break when he went down with a left hamstring strain. Tampa didn’t get much for him – a player to be named or cash.
We honestly don’t know who will start this one for Tampa – probably one of their “openers,” a reliever who will go just an inning or two.
The Rays went 3-1 in a 4-game series at Angel Stadium, May 17-20, and they are 77-98 all-time against the Angels entering this series. Since the start of the 2010 season, the visiting team has dominated the matchup of these two clubs: the Angels have gone 17-11 at Tropicana Field, including 7-1-1 in series play, while the Rays are 26-11 at Angel Stadium and have gone 9-1-1 in series play.
Angels vs Rays MLB Lines & Expert Prediction
Dirty 3️⃣0️⃣!@MikeTrout pic.twitter.com/daWzBE4BCO
— Angels (@Angels) 1 de agosto de 2018
- When: Wednesday, 7:10 PM ET
- Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Nick Tropeano/TBA
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: TuneIn
- MLB Lines: TBA
Indians at Twins Preview & MLB Odds – August 1st
Why Bet on LA Angels?
The Halos basically gave up on their wild-card chances on Monday when they traded former All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler to Boston. It is now safe to say that the Angels will miss the postseason. If superstar Mike Trout plays all 162 games, which he is on pace for, it will be just under 1,100 games played for Trout without a postseason win. That’s not good for baseball. Trout ranks in Top 5 in MLB in several offensive categories, including HR, runs, runs created, total bases, times on base, walks, IBB, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+ and offensive WAR. LAA’s 54 errors are fourth-fewest in A.L. while the club ranks tied for third in the circuit with .986 fielding pct. The Halos lead MLB having turned 114 double plays Kinsler, 36, is batting .239 this season, with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs. The Angels got two Triple-A relievers, right-hander Ty Buttrey and left-hander Williams Jerez, in return. A 25-year-old right-hander, Buttrey has a 2.25 ERA in 32 relief appearances at Triple-A Pawtucket this season. Jerez, 26, is 2-1 with five saves and a 3.63 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the PawSox. The left-hander averages 95 mph with his fastball and hits 100. Not yet clear if either will debut this season with L.A. It’s Nick Tropeano (4-5, 4.82) here. Tropeano gave up five runs on five hits — all home runs – over 6 1/3 innings against the White Sox on Thursday. All of the home runs were solo shots — two to Daniel Palka and one each to Jose Abreu, Nicky Delmonico and Avisail Garcia. Tropeano had been susceptible to the long ball coming into Thursday with a 1.4 HR/9 rate, but he hadn’t been teed off on to this extent in any of his 11 starts prior. He is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in three career starts against the Rays.Why Bet on Tampa Bay?
Very surprising that the Rays dealt Archer considering he’s on a very team-friendly deal for the next few years. Archer (3-5, 4.31) isn’t having his strongest season. He finished April with a 6.61 ERA but has since lowered that to 4.31. Through 17 starts, he’s posted 102 strikeouts over 96 innings. He also missed five weeks with an abdominal muscle issue but has been remarkably durable over his career. He made at least 32 starts every season between 2014 and 2017. Archer is set to make $7.6 million next season, which is quite a bargain for No. 1 or No. 2 starter. Archer then has team options for $9 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021. But Tampa did well, landing two of the top young players in the Pirates’ organization, outfielder Austin Meadows, and pitcher Tyler Glasnow, along with a third player who is still undetermined. Meadows, 23, was the top prospect to the be moved at this deadline. He spent some time in Pittsburgh earlier this season, hitting .292/.327/.468 slash over 165 plate appearances. Glasnow, 25, hasn’t quite turned the corner yet in his development.
Tampa made two other trades, sending All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos to Philadelphia and landing outfielder Tommy Pham and international bonus money from the Cardinals for LHP Genesis Cabrera, OF Justin Williams and RHP Roel Ramirez. Pham was sensational in 2017 with 23 homers, 25 steals and a .931 OPS, but he hasn’t been close to that player in 2018 with a .248/.331/.399 line over 396 at-bats. He has hit 14 homers and 10 steals, however. He should be an everyday player for the Rays.
Ramos, 30, was reaching the end of a two-year contract with the Rays, where he signed after spending his early career with the Washington Nationals. He’s batting .297/.346/.488 for the Rays, but he hasn’t played since just before the All-Star break when he went down with a left hamstring strain. Tampa didn’t get much for him – a player to be named or cash.
We honestly don’t know who will start this one for Tampa – probably one of their “openers,” a reliever who will go just an inning or two.
The Rays went 3-1 in a 4-game series at Angel Stadium, May 17-20, and they are 77-98 all-time against the Angels entering this series. Since the start of the 2010 season, the visiting team has dominated the matchup of these two clubs: the Angels have gone 17-11 at Tropicana Field, including 7-1-1 in series play, while the Rays are 26-11 at Angel Stadium and have gone 9-1-1 in series play.
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Angels are 2-6 in their last 8 vs. American League East
- Angels are 2-10 in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Rays are 12-4 in their last 16 home games vs. a right-handed starter
- LA is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
- LA is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels’ last 6 games
- Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
- Tampa Bay is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games
