Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

We have another AL West showdown tonight as the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels open a three game series. This is the first meeting between these two rivals and it should be a good matchup between them. Before this series, the Astros dropped two of three games to the Seattle Mariners. So the defending champions will be looking to get back on track in this one. As for the Angels, they come in after also dropping two of three games to the Texas Rangers. Both sides will be looking to gain some momentum by taking this series and grabbing some bragging rights as well.

Date: Monday, May 8th, 2023

Time: 9:38 p.m. EST

Location: Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California

Team Records: Houston Astros (17-17), Los Angeles Angels (19-16)

Projected Starting Pitchers:

Hunter Brown (3-1, 2.60 ERA) vs Patrick Sandoval (3-1, 2.93 ERA)

What to Watch:

Within this game, the biggest question mark will be how Patrick Sandoval pitches here. He has the tools to shut down an offense but has struggled with consistency at times. If he can come out strong and take the Astros bats out of the game early, it could be a good day for the Angels. They are going to need another good outing from him here if they want to stop this losing streak. Sandoval needs to get ahead of the count and force the Houston batters into bad spots as the game goes on. By doing this, he can set the tone early and get the home crowd involved which can only help his team.

As for the Astros, they are sending out Hunter Brown in this rivalry game. He has been good for them this season and they will be looking to him to shut down this Los Angeles offense. It won’t be easy since the Angels do have a ton of power in their lineup but Brown is more than capable. He just needs to limit the pitch count and they can win the game.

Game Prediction: Los Angeles Angels 8, Houston Astros 2

Give me the Angels to take this game behind a strong showing from Sandoval here. He shuts Houston down and the Angels get the win at home.

Odds Presented By Betfred Sportsbook 

Spread – Houston Astros -1.5 (+135) / Los Angeles Angels +1.5 (-160)

Moneyline – Houston Astros -125 / Los Angeles Angels +105

Total – 8.5 – Over (-120) / Under (+100)

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