1:10 pm
August 25

Angels @ Rays

Who will WIN this matchup?

Los Angeles Angels (52-72)

@ Tampa Bay Rays (68-55)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Sandoval (LAA): 4-8; 3.14 ERA

Rasmussen (TB) 8-4; 2.82 ERA

 

Current odds:

Los Angeles Angels: (+172)

Tampa Bay Rays: (-204)

 

• The starting line-up for the Angels is as follows:

August 25 Lineup: 2B Fletcher, DH Ohtani, RF Ward, 1B Ford, LF Adell, CF Sierra, C Suzuki, 3B Rojas, SS Velazquez, P Sandoval

• The starting line-up for the Rays is as follows:

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• The Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays will finish their four-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Thursday afternoon, with the visitors looking for a way to ignite an offense that is one of the worst in the majors. After losing 4-3 to the Rays in 11 innings on Wednesday, the Angels have scored a total of nine runs in six games on their current road trip, which began in Detroit. Los Angeles has dropped the past five games and eight of its past nine.

• The struggles extend beyond the past week, as the Angels have scored just 66 runs in 22 games in August, an average of three runs per contest. Overall, the Angels rank 28th among the 30 major league teams in batting average (.226), 26th in runs (464) and 26th in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.668).

• Center fielder Mike Trout should be able to help, having returned for the past six games after missing 30 due to a back injury. Trout is 7-for-23 (.304) with two homers, three RBIs, one walk and six strikeouts since rejoining the lineup. He homered each of the past two days, but he is expected to get a day off on Thursday.

• Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (4-8, 3.14 ERA) will start Thursday’s game for Los Angeles, coming off the first shutout of his career. He fired a four-hitter against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, striking out nine and walking none. Sandoval is 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA in three career games (two starts) vs. Tampa Bay.

• Right-hander Drew Rasmussen (8-4, 2.82 ERA) will look to extend his hot streak for the Rays. He has not given up more than two earned runs in six consecutive starts, going 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in that span. He has been particularly sharp in his past two starts. Rasmussen took a perfect game into the ninth inning on Aug. 14 against the Baltimore Orioles and took a no-hitter into the sixth on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. He allowed just three hits in those two games while striking out 15 and walking one. Rasmussen has faced the Angels once in his career, throwing a scoreless inning in relief on June 26, 2021.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Tampa Bay Rays
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