The Los Angeles Angels will look to continue their late-season surge Saturday as they host the Texas Rangers in the second game of a three-game series. The Angels have been on a recent winning streak and are third in the AL West, while the Rangers sit fourth in the division. Both have been eliminated from the playoffs. The Rangers lead the season series 10-6. Cole Ragans (0-3) goes for the Rangers while Jose Suarez (7-8) takes the hill for the Angels. First pitch is at 9:07 p.m. ET.
Rangers stumble to the finish line
The Texas Rangers sit in fourth place in the AL West. They came into this series having lost 5 of their last 6 games. The Rangers are 11th in runs scored per game, 8th in home runs and 16th in slugging percentage. Corey Seager leads the team with a .246 batting average, 32 home runs and 81 RBI. He is questionable for Saturday with a forearm injury.
Rangers have announced the organization’s end-of-year minor league award winners:
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) September 30, 2022
Tom Grieve Player of the Year – Evan Carter
Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year – Cole Ragans
Reliever of the Year – Chase Lee
Defender of the Year – Jonathan Ornelas
True Ranger Award – Thomas Saggese pic.twitter.com/aug91DfjML
Cole Ragans goes for the Rangers on Saturday evening. The right-hander is 0-3 on the season with an ERA of 5.40 in 8 starts. He has 25 strikeouts and 15 walks in 35 innings pitched. He gave up 3 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings in a loss to the Guardians in his last start. The Rangers have a team ERA of 4.22, which ranks 22nd in the major leagues.
Angels finishing strong
The LA Angels are third in the AL West. They have finished strong this season, winning 5 of their last 6 games heading into this series,. They also started strong, but it was the middle part of the season that gave them trouble. As they look forward to next year, they seem like they are building a better pitching staff, and that's a positive.
Shohei Ohtani is hitting .365 during his current 14-game hitting streak.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 30, 2022
He is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA during that span, striking out 25 and allowing 8 hits in 20 innings.@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/qrWEihqHTw
Jose Suarez gets the start for the Angels on Saturday. Suarez is 7-8 on the season with a 4.06 ERA in 21 overall appearances and 19 starts. He has 97 strikeouts and 33 walks in 102 innings. Suarez got a win in his last start, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits in 5.2 innings. The Angels have a team ERA of 3.82, which ranks 10th in the league. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.97, which ranks 17th in the league.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
I have to go with the Angels here for a few reasons. They are home, where they have been pretty successful this season, given their record overall. They are playing much better than the Rangers as of late and they have two sluggers in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout who are among the league leaders and who are really playing for history, so don't expect them to slow down. And finally, they have the favorable pitching matchup as Suarez has been solid and Ragans has struggled in his rookie season. Take the Angels.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Outside of their two stars, the offense has really let the Angels down this year, which is an abrupt about face from years past. In years past, the offense has always been pretty good but the pitching has been horrific. This year, the pitching has been strong as the Angels are top 10 in ERA. Suarez has emerged as a solid starter and looks like he could be a key piece of the rotation next season. This should give the Angels some hope for next year. But as far as this game goes, I think the Angels will tee off on the Rangers starter as they have been hitting better as of late. They should score plenty of runs to push this past the total. Take the over.