Baseball season is just about upon us, and the junior circuit appears to be fairly wide open, which is going to make for an interesting run towards the American League Pennant. Here is a look at a favorite, a mid-level contender, and a longshot to break through and finish atop the American League this season.
The National League lost the World Series last year with Boston defeating St. Louis. The AL got most the attention in the offseason with the Yankees paying big sums to reload and big trades like the one that moved Prince Fielder down to Texas.
Many pitchers and catchers will report to their respective teams in just under two weeks as the 2014 MLB seasons nears ever closer. The rosters for most teams have taken shape, though a few significant free agents still remain on the market.
The Red Sox are starting to run away with the AL East with a 9.5 game lead over the Orioles and a 10 game lead over the Yankees, so New York and Baltimore will likely have to snag a Wild Card to make the playoffs.
The Red Sox have won 3 straight and they are in first place in the AL East with a 2.5 game lead over the Rays and a 6.5 game lead over the Orioles.
The Cardinals are tied with the Pirates atop the NL Central with the Reds lurking, as they are only 2.5 games back. The Reds are in good shape even if they do not win the NL Central, as they are in the Wild Card lead with a big 7-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Yankees have been playing well as of late winning 3 straight and 8 of their last 10, but they are still in 4th place in the AL East 6.5 games back of the Red Sox.
The Reds are in the heart of their division race in 3rd place in the NL Central 3.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals. While the D-Backs are in 2nd place in the NL West they are 7.5 games back of the red-hot Dodgers. MLB lines have the Reds as the home favorite with a total of 7.5 runs.
The Rays and Orioles are both chasing the Boston Red Sox in the AL East with Tampa Bay 1 game back of Boston with Baltimore 4.5 games back.
One of the reasons the Pirates are in first place in the NL Central is that they have fared well against the Cardinals this season. They are 6-1 in their last 7 games facing them and the last time they faced them in a series they won 4 of 5 games.
The Diamondbacks have lost 2 in a row and with the Dodgers being red hot it looks as if Arizona may have to snag a Wild Card to make the playoffs. The Orioles have won 6 of their last 10 games and they are in 3rd place in the AL East 4.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox.
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline has come and gone. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be any more trades the rest of the season, it does give us an idea of which general managers think their teams are out of the playoff picture, and which ones expect their teams to make a run in the postseason.
The Indians are hot winners of 9-1, but they have not been able to gain any ground in the AL Central, as the Tigers have also won 9 of their last 10 games.
The L.A. Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals open an important NL 4-game series tonight. The Dodgers have the best record since the All Star break and are in first place in the NL West 5.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Angels hopes of making the playoffs are pretty slim these days, as they are 14 games out of first place in the AL West and have lost 8 of their last 10 games.
Venue/ Stadium: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Time/Date: 8:05 PM EST Wednesday, July 31, 2013
MLB Odds From: BetOnline
Moneyline: Angels +130 / Rangers -140
Over/Under: 9.5 runs
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L.A. Angels vs. Texas Rangers Preview
The Rangers have won 2 straight and are in 2nd place in the AL West 5 games back of the Oakland A’s. MLB lines have the Rangers as home favorites tonight with a high run total of 9.5 runs.
In yesterday’s game the Rangers beat the Angels 14-11.
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On the season the Angels have an Over/Under record of 55-47 and a run-line W/L record of 47-58 and the Rangers have an Over/Under record of 38-63 and a run-line W/L record of 47-60.
This season the Rangers are 31-24 at home and the Angels are 21-29 on the road.
The Rangers will go for the sweep tonight and they have won 5 of their last 6 home games against the Angels.
Jerome Williams (5-7 4.85 ERA) gets the starting nod for the Halos tonight and he gave up 4 earned runs in 5 innings in his last start taking a loss facing the Oakland A’s.
Martin Perez (3-3 4.37 ERA) goes for the Rangers and he was torched in his last outing giving up 6 earned runs in only 3 innings, but the offense bailed him out and he took a no decision against the Cleveland Indians.
Williams have the highest ERA in the Majors (8.90) of any pitcher with at least 5 starts since June 22nd. In that span he has lost his last 5 starts. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Perez is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in his last 3 starts and tonight will be his first career start against the Angels.
Josh Hamilton is 4 for 9 with 6 RBI in the series and 13 for 26 in his last 6 games against his former team.
Angels Closer Ernesto Frieri had converted 25 of 27 saves before blowing 2 straight save chances in this series.
In some betting trends for this AL West match up the Angels are 0-5 in their last 5 road games, 2-10 in Williams’ last 12 starts vs. a team with a winning record, and they have an Over record of 4-1-1 in their last 6 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
The Rangers are 5-12 in their last 17 overall, 4-9 in Perez’s last 13 starts, and they have an Under record of 12-3-2 in their last 17 overall.
In the last 10 games between these 2 teams in Texas the total has gone Over 8 times.
Jason’s Pick: Hard pick in this one, but I think the Angels and their offense will get to Perez and they will win tonight and snap their 5- game losing streak.
The Dodgers have been the hottest team in the Majors for the last month and they have won 9 of their last 10 games. They now are in first place in the NL West with a 2.5 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
