Two Plays As Angels Take On Nationals

Angels vs. Nationals, 6:45 ET

Yesterday was a decent enough day. In the first game I played between the Brewers and Braves, I took the over. It didn't just go over the total, it flew over the total in a rocket ship. By the bottom of the second inning, the Brewers were winning 7-0 on a line of 9.5. The Brewers ended up scoring 16 runs and the Braves scored seven runs. I'll take it. The other game wasn't quite as good as we lost the Orioles first five play, however I did give another play in there that cashed with the over 4.5 through five innings. I also shared that Vlad Gurerro Jr. had four homers against Kremer. Make it five today. I'm hoping to give out a winner here, but there could be pockets of information that lead to more money throughout the game between the Angels and the Nationals.

Sometimes I like to think that teams are something I like to call respectable bad. I'm trying to decide if the Angels fall into that category. They are 13 games under .500 and they have very little going for them both now and through their farm system. The team has very little pitching to be proud of, Mike Trout is once again injured and out for the season, and the team's biggest signings in the past decade either didn't work out or are gone. They are hitting .237 for the season as a team, and they have a 4.52 ERA collectively. Neither of those numbers are great, but they also aren't terrible. The Angels are currently winners of four of the past five games, so this is a pocket where they are certainly respectable, even if they are bad overall. Tonight, they are going to put one guy that has been solid for them this season, Jose Soriano, on the mound. Soriano has a 6-7 record with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has been even better on the road, posting a 2.86 ERA compared to 4.43 at home. Soriano was injured for half of June, but came back in July and pitched with mixed results. His most recent outing was against the Mets and he turned in one of his best outings of the season. He went six scoreless innings and allowed just five hits and two walks. He hasn't faced the Nationals this season (not that this is a surprise), but only Harold Ramirez has faced him and he is 1-for-4 against Soriano.

Jul 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker (70) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Nationals finally have fallen off of the cliff. Finally might be a bit of an understatement. They have been over the cliff for some time now, but they were certainly respectable bad for the majority of this season. Washington was the third-best team in the division until about the middle of June when the Mets decided it might be worth it to play good baseball. Now the Nationals are fourth-best which is what I expected from them in the first place. They do show some signs of having a brighter future ahead. They do have some good young talent and have acquired good players from other squads over the course of the past few seasons, trading away big leagues for minor league talent. Tonight they have lefty Mitchell Parker on the hill. He is 6-6 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in his first season in the big league. Parker has also been better at home this season with a 3.35 ERA compared to 4.78 on the road. He is also coming off one of his best outings of the season, going six scoreless innings, and allowing three hits and three walks. The Angels have never faced Parker before, so he could have a nice edge here to start the game.

The Angels are a team that might be worth backing right now, especially with Soriano on the mound. They are playing some of the best baseball they've played all season right now. I'm going to play this game two ways. I'm going to take the Angels at -120 through the first five innings. It is a bit of a coinflip, but I like Soriano better than Parker. I also will take the under 9.5 for the game. Both pitchers are performing well right now and I think we should see the pitching staff play better than the offenses. Back the under and Angels first five. 

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