Plus Money Shot On Angels And Rays

Angels vs. Rays, 6:50 ET

Baseball is a long season. The teams play 162 games, as you know, but that's also over 2,400 games for us to choose from over the course of the year. That doesn't mean it is easy and there are a ton of soft lines for us to choose from, but it does mean that options are available to us. Making the right choice can be very difficult, but to begin the year, we've done pretty well and made good choices. I'm looking to make another good choice on a game between the Angels and the Rays as they face off in Tampa Bay. 

The Angels are probably better than you'd think considering this team lost one of their best players in the offseason. I actually feel bad for the Angels and their fans, though I've never actually met an Angels fan in the wild. The team is willing to spend money on big name players, they invest in managers, talent, and other things. It, unfortunately, never works out for them, and it seems like they are one of those "cursed" franchises. They are 8-8 to start the season and looking to find a way to make themselves relevant this year. Mike Trout is off to a great start with seven home runs and a .290 average. It would be nice to see him get a fully healthy season once again. The team is hitting fairly well overall as well, with a .247 average. The problem remains the pitching staff - they have a 4.69 ERA, despite a 1.26 WHIP. I suppose this mostly means that when someone gets hits off of the staff, they make strong contact or string together hits. Jose Soriano is going tonight for the Angels and he has allowed seven earned runs and three homers over 10 hits and 10 innings pitched. In his last outing, he allowed four earned runs on six hits over four innings against this Rays team. 

What a difference a year makes for ball clubs. Tampa jumped out to a ridiculous start last season, and this year they are 9-8 to start the year and are just 5-6 at home. I suppose that's what happens when you lose Shane McClanahan to injury, Tyler Glasnow to trade, and Wander Franco to pedophilia (allegedly?). The team isn't really struggling from an offensive standpoint to start the season. Collectively, they are hitting .245 and have scored just over four runs per game. Their on-base percentage and slugging percentages (.309, and .373) could use a bit of improvement, but it isn't terrible either. Their pitching staff, something they've relied on for years, has fallen apart this season. They currently have a 5.17 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Opponents are also hitting .264 off of the staff which is very high. One guy that is doing his part is tonight's starter, Aaron Civale. Civale is 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA through three starts and has a 0.94 WHIP. He already has two quality starts and allowed just two earned runs against the Angels in his last start. He covered five innings, and threw only 78 pitches, but couldn't get past the fifth inning. 

The Rays should be able to replicate last week's win over Soriano in tonight's game. They clearly have the better pitcher taking the mound in Civale. I think they should take the first five as well, and the question is if I want to isolate the play to the starters or go for a bit more value on the full game. The Rays were winning 4-3 after five in the first game with Civale and he was facing a better pitcher in that contest. I think the best play her is to take the full game -1.5 at +142, but I can't talk you out of doing the first five run line as well. 

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