The surprising Minnesota Twins continue to lead the AL Central and they continue a West Coast trip on Monday night by opening a three-game set at Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos are slight favorites on the latest MLB odds.
How to Bet Twins vs Angels MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Monday, 10:07 PM ET
- Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jake Odorizzi/Taylor Cole
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: AM 830
- MLB Odds: LA Angels -115 (Total 9)
Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week – May 20th Edition
Season Series
Twins lead 2-1, taking two of three at home to start last week. All three games were decided by one run. It marked the first time this season in which they lost Game 1 but came back to win the next two to win the series. The Twins did so four times last season.
Minnesota won the series finale 8-7. That was notable because it was only the seventh time in Angels history they lost when collecting at least 18 hits. It hadn’t happened since early in the 2011 season in Kansas City. The Halos also stranded 17 men on-base, a season-high, and the most since April 11, 2014, vs. the Mets. It was the 14th time in franchise history that the Angels stranded at least 17.
Why Bet on Minnesota?
It’s Jake Odorizzi (6-2, 2.63) for Minnesota on the mound, and he’s having a breakout season. Odorizzi (6-2) allowed three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and two walks across 5.1 innings during a victory against the Angels last Wednesday.
For the first time since April 22, Odorizzi gave up runs, snapping a streak of 22 straight scoreless innings. All three runs came via the long ball against Odorizzi — it was the first time this year he’s allowed more than one homer in a game. Tommy La Stella took him deep in the third and Jonathan Lucroy tacked on a two-run shot in the sixth, which Odorizzi did not finish for the first time in four starts.
Odorizzi still became the first Twins pitcher to win six consecutive starts since Kyle Gibson won seven consecutive decisions from August 22, 2017-March 31, 2018. Odorizzi also recorded his ninth career pickoff in the fourth inning, second this season (May 4 at NYY), tying him for eighth among active right-handed pitchers in pickoffs since 2012.
The Twins are without Mitch Garver, who has been arguably the best offensive catcher in baseball this season. Garver suffered a high ankle sprain in the eighth inning of last Tuesday night’s game against the Angels when Shohei Ohtani slid into his leg at home plate. Garver was placed on the injured list the next day. He’s hitting .329 with nine homers. Jason Castro and Willians Astudillo have been sharing time behind the plate.
DH Nelson Cruz is also on the injured list with a left wrist strain. Cruz said that he plans to return from the injured list as soon as he’s eligible on May 24. The team has been using a few guys at DH in his absence.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.70
- Hits: 9.20
- Walks: 3.15
- Strike Outs: 7.46
Defense
- Runs: 4.09
- Hits: 8.33
- Walks: 2.80
- Strike Outs: 8.50
Why Bet on LA Angels?
The Halos took two of three over the weekend vs. the Royals but lost Sunday 5-1. Outfielder Justin Upton (toe) has been doing some throwing and hitting drills as he progresses toward a return. Upton said Saturday that he can run on about 80 percent of his weight on a treadmill but that he has “a lot of steps to take” before he’s ready to return to the Angels. He’s not expected back before mid-June.
On Saturday, Mike Trout made more history with his 250th career homer. His 10th homer of the season had an exit velocity of 112.8 mph at a launch angle of 27 degrees, according to Statcast. It’s the second-longest homer from Trout that Statcast has recorded, as his best is a 477-foot shot off lefty Chris Rusin on July 8, 2015, at Coors Field. Trout now has the top two longest homers hit by an Angels player since Statcast was introduced in 2015. It was also the third-longest homer in the Majors this year, trailing the Rangers’ Nomar Mazara (482 feet) and the Pirates’ Josh Bell (474).
With his 250th career homer, Trout became the sixth American League player ever to reach that mark before turning 28, joining Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, and Juan Gonzalez. He’s the 13th player overall to reach the mark by his age-27 season.
Albert Pujols is four home runs shy of becoming the seventh player in MLB history with 200-or-more HRs in each league. He hit 445 for St. Louis (2001-11) and has 196 with LAA. Pujols (641 HRs) ranks sixth on the all-time HR list (Willie Mays is fifth with 660 HRs).
It’s Taylor Cole (0-0, 4.91) on the bump for the Angels. Cole, who has 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, will serve as the opener. Felix Pena is expected to follow out of the bullpen, just like he has in his previous four outings. He has a 2.95 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings over that stretch.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.83
- Hits: 8.59
- Walks: 3.57
- Strike Outs: 6.07
Defense
- Runs: 4.83
- Hits: 8.26
- Walks: 3.63
- Strike Outs: 8.48
Twins vs Angels MLB Betting Trends
- Twins are 7-1 in Odorizzi’s last 8 starts vs. a team with a losing record
- Angels are 4-0 in their last 4 during game 1 of a series
- Twins are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games against an opponent in the American League
- Angels are 13-5 SU in their last 18 games against an opponent in the American League Central division
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels’ last 5 games when playing as the favorite
Expert Final Score Prediction for Twins vs Angels
Minnesota Twins 4 – LA Angels 5
