New Team, Same Corbin Expected

Angels vs. Rangers, 8:05 ET

The AL West is quickly becoming one of the more interesting divisions in all of baseball. It is almost like a soap opera. The Astros were the cheaters and villains. The Mariners were the new kids that you had a ton of hope for and a bit of the rocky past. The Athletics are the forgotten group that once was great. The Angels are the screw ups and the Rangers were the heroes, having won the World Series just two years ago. 

I really do hate beating up the Angels. I actually enjoy the club and feel badly for them. They are one of the few franchises that have done virtually everything that they could to try and field a winning team. They just couldn't make it happen no matter who they rolled out there. Albert Pujols, Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and I'm sure there are others, all have been given big contracts. Trout's injuries are slightly to blame, but let's be realistic, they weren't winning even with him out there. They remind me of the Mariners from the 90's who had generational talent, but couldn't ever win anything. One of their investments this year was to add Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi's numbers look rough right now, but he's actually had pretty good games. He has two quality starts under his belt in three outings. In his most recent game, he allowed four earned runs in six innings. The problem doesn't seem to be him, it seems that the bullpen can't help him at all. Rangers hitters are decent against him, but not great with 21 hits in 95 at-bats. Corey Seager has been surprisingly bad, so maybe leave him off of your daily fantasy card. 

(Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)

The Rangers, or the heroes as I referred to them, are a team that is a bit hard to root against. They have spent money to add big names, but they've also gotten some homegrown talent. Make no mistake, though, this is a very competitive division. Texas is just 9-7 to start the year, but has been very good at home where they are now 6-1. They have lost four of their past five games, all on the road. For the season, the batting average is sitting at just .208, and they've only scored 51 runs, which leaves them as one of the worst offenses in baseball. Their pitching has been what has carried them. You have to wonder if that will happen here as they send Patrick Corbin to the hill tonight. Corbin was mocked for years about his contract with Washington, but he at least was reliable in terms of eating innings. Corbin has made just one start for the Rangers, going four innings and allowing three earned runs. Angels hitters are batting just .236 against him. 

So are the Angels actually good this season because they have a 9-6 record? Are the Rangers the worst offensive team in baseball because of these first 16 games of the season? I feel like the Rangers are likely to find some comfort in their home field, but I am not backing Corbin. In fact, I think this is a game the Angels could win, but I am going to back their team total over 4.5 at +110 instead. Angels team total over and let's hope Corbin gets rocked. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024