There's not as many games today, but things at least get started earlier with this afternoon game. After keeping things close in a 2-1 loss for the series opener, things got out of hand for the Angels on Tuesday with an 11-1 final. They fell once more to Rays lefty ace Shane McClanahan yesterday, and are out to salvage what they can with a lefty of their own. Outside of Shohei Ohtani, starter Patrick Sandoval has been a bright spot for them recently. Coupled with the return of 3-time MVP winner Mike Trout, there's plenty for us to analyze in this series finale. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our MLB picks for all of today's games.
Angels ML (+148)
Under 7 total runs (-120)
Parlay odds: +355
Let's take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Los Angeles Angels ML (+148) over Tampa Bay Rays
There's no denying that the Angels have been disappointing this season. They've even recently announced that they're looking into selling the team. However, that does not mean there isn't talent on this team. Ohtani is the reigning AL MVP, and truly is a generational talent. The return of Trout always provides confidence, and he hit a home run for his 1,500th career hit earlier in this series. If anything, those superstars should put on a show if they want to leave this franchise. Although Ohtani won't be able to show off on the mound, the Angels should still be confident with Sandoval on the mound.
He may not be a lefty quite like Tampa's McClanahan, but he's coming off of an incredible start. Sandoval just pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 9 batters in the process. That makes 2 of his last 3 starts in which he didn't allow a single run. Rays Drew Rasmussen has been solid recently as well, but he's not a starter reliable enough to warrant the Angels as this big of underdogs. Neither starter was on the mound the first time these teams met this season, but it was L.A. that came out on top in a big way. They won the first 2 games of that series by a combined score of 23-3. Ohtani and Trout combined for 5 home runs in those 2 games, so expect them to return the favor and support their lefty like the Rays did yesterday.