The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros will play Friday at Minute Maid Park. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. CT.
Los Angeles (58-58 SU and 55-61 RL) is starting lefty Reid Detmers. The 24-year-old is 2-8 with a 4.78 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 20 outings this year.
Houston (66-50 SU and 59-57 RL) is countering with righty Justin Verlander. The 40-year-old is 6-6 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in his 17 starts.
The Astros are -186 moneyline favorites and the game total is 8.5 runs scored.
Mike Briggs is your trusted sports capper at Winners and Whiners. With a keen eye for value, he'll find you the top picks in baseball, basketball, and football. Bet with Mike today!
The Angels snapped a seven-game losing streak with consecutive wins over San Francisco to clinch a series win. They're still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot but they'll need to be more consistent to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
LA scores 4.89 runs per game (7th) and hit .254 (11th) with a .772 OPS (5th). It's hit 174 home runs (3rd) and stolen 56 bases (27th) in 2023. The Halos' pitching staff sports a 4.43 ERA (20th) and a 1.36 WHIP (21st) with 37 quality starts (17th).
Moose with the boost ??#GoHalos pic.twitter.com/KycnpbknPy
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 10, 2023
Detmers will get the start for the visitors in game one of the three-game set. The third-year pro is coming off one of his worst outings of the season against Seattle (seven runs on nine hits, including three HRs). He hasn't picked up a win since defeating Arizona on July 2.