Texas Rangers vs La Angels Picks and Predictions September 7th 2024

Texas comes into this AL West matchup vs. the Angels, who are 5th in the division with a record of 59-82. The Rangers are 3rd in the AL West at 68-74 and they are the money line favorite for Saturday’s game at -142. The money line odds for the Angels are sitting at +121. First pitch from Globe Life Field in Arlington is set for 7:05 PM ET.

FOX will be televising Saturday’s game, and the over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs. Tyler Anderson is starting for the Angels, and he is facing off against Jack Leiter for the Rangers.

Left-hander Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Angels today as he faces the Rangers on the road. He has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA. Anderson’s WHIP for the season is 1.25, and he has turned in 12 quality starts. In his last outing, Anderson finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One positive note for Anderson is that he has issued just 3.6 walks per nine innings compared to 6.93 strikeouts.

Over the past eight games, Mickey Moniak has been on fire for the Angels, going 10/29 with five homers and 10 RBIs. Taylor Ward has also been swinging the bat well, going 11/35 with four homers over his last nine games. For the season, Ward is hitting .243 with 21 homers, which is the best mark on the team.

As a team, the Angels are 27th in the league in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. Overall, they are batting just .230 and have the 23rd ranked home run total in the league. So far, they have been a below-average team in terms of OBP, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Jack Leiter will be making his third start of the season, and he is still looking for his first win. He started the year with a loss vs. the Yankees, and then he took a no-decision against the White Sox. In that start, he went 5 innings and gave up 5 runs, but only 2 of them were earned.

Corey Seager has been a bright spot for the Rangers this season, as he is batting .278 and leads the team with 30 home runs and 74 RBIs. Seager’s 30 homers are 12th in the league. Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien have also hit a lot of home runs this season, but Garcia is batting just .221, and Semien is hitting .236. Both players are looking to get going at the plate.

Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford have been swinging the bat well for the Rangers, with Jung going 10/24 in his last six games and Langford also having two homers in this stretch. Langford also has eight RBIs in his last six games. Langford is also on a six-game hitting streak.

As the Texas Rangers push for an unlikely playoff spot, every game counts. On Saturday night, they’ll face the Los Angeles Angels in Arlington for the third game of a four-game series. The teams have split the first two contests, and with the Rangers (68-74) suffering a 5-1 loss on Friday, they need a quick bounce-back to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Rangers’ Playoff Hopes Fading

Despite winning eight of their last 11 games, the Rangers’ chances of making the playoffs are slipping away. After Friday’s defeat, they remain 8 1/2 games behind both the Houston Astros in the AL West and the Minnesota Twins for the AL’s final wild-card spot. With only 20 games remaining, Texas needs a strong finish to stay in the race.

Friday’s game saw the Rangers struggle offensively, managing just four hits and one run, courtesy of an Adolis Garcia sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Texas went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, highlighting their recent struggles at the plate.

“We just couldn’t get it going offensively,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after his team’s lackluster showing against Angels starter Samuel Aldegheri, who earned his first major league win by allowing just one run over six innings. “His fastball played up more than we expected, and we had a hard time with it.”

Since scoring three runs in the first inning of Thursday’s 3-1 win, the Rangers have managed just one run over their last 16 innings. They’ll need to find a spark to avoid falling further behind in the playoff chase.

Angels Riding Momentum

The Angels (59-82) have won four of their last six games and looked sharp on Friday. Logan O’Hoppe was the hero, launching a three-run homer—his 19th of the season—to power the 5-1 victory. After a rough August where he batted just .099, O’Hoppe seems to be turning a corner, hitting his second homer in three games.

“It takes more than one swing to get your rhythm back,” Angels manager Ron Washington said, praising O’Hoppe’s recent improvement. The young catcher credits extended batting sessions with hitting coaches Johnny Washington and Tim Laker for helping him make crucial adjustments.

Taylor Ward also extended his streak of reaching base to 16 consecutive games, while outfielder Jo Adell left Friday’s game with a left oblique injury and is set to undergo further evaluation.

Saturday’s Pitching Matchup

The Rangers will turn to rookie right-hander Jack Leiter (0-2, 11.78 ERA) for Saturday’s start. Leiter has struggled in his first season, allowing 31 hits in just 18 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing against the New York Yankees, Leiter gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings in an 8-4 loss. The 24-year-old will face the Angels for the first time in his career and needs to bounce back if Texas is to stay in the playoff race.

The Angels will counter with veteran left-hander Tyler Anderson (10-12, 3.55 ERA). Anderson has been inconsistent, losing four of his last six starts. In his most recent outing against the Seattle Mariners, he allowed four runs and six hits but didn’t factor into the decision. Despite his recent struggles, Anderson has a solid track record against the Rangers, going 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in eight career appearances.

In their last meeting on May 17, Anderson held Texas to one run on two hits over seven innings in a 9-3 win. Certain Rangers, like Jonah Heim, have had success against him, while others, like Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia, have struggled.

Key Matchups to Watch

Jack Leiter vs. Angels Offense:
Leiter has had a rough introduction to the majors, and with the Angels coming off a strong offensive showing, this is a critical start for the rookie. Can Leiter contain the Angels’ lineup and give Texas a chance to win?

Tyler Anderson vs. Rangers Lineup:
Anderson has dominated the Rangers in the past but has been inconsistent this season. Can Texas figure him out this time, or will Anderson repeat his success from earlier this year?

Jonah Heim vs. Anderson:
Heim has had great success against Anderson, batting .533 with two home runs. With Texas’ offense struggling, Heim could be the key to jump-starting the Rangers’ lineup.

What’s at Stake?

For the Rangers, every game is critical. With just 20 games left in the season, each loss brings them closer to elimination. To keep their playoff hopes alive, Texas needs to rediscover their offense and string together some wins. Jack Leiter’s performance will be crucial, as the rookie tries to find his footing against an Angels team looking to play spoiler.

For the Angels, the postseason is out of reach, but they’re focused on building momentum and giving their young players valuable experience. Logan O’Hoppe’s recent resurgence is a positive sign for the future, and the team will look to finish the season strong.

With both teams having something to prove, Saturday’s game promises to be a competitive battle. The Rangers are fighting to stay alive in the playoff race, while the Angels are looking to end their season on a high note.

Our lean in this Angels vs. Rangers matchup is to take the Angels to win straight-up. We have this as the 11th highest-scoring game of the day and the 2nd lowest combined hits total. However, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs, we are still leaning towards taking the over. Looking at today’s starters, we have Tyler Anderson as the better strikeout option over Jack Leiter for the Rangers.