Texas moved ever closer to its sixth AL West title with a heart-stopping win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. The Rangers will look to grab that coveted division crown later tonight when they take on the embattled Angels in a mouth-watering clash at Globe Life Park.
Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, Texas
When: Friday, October 2, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Angels (+115) at Texas Rangers (-125); total: 9.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ postseason hopes took a huge hit on Thursday with a gut-wrenching 5-3 defeat to AL West leaders Texas Rangers. It was a disappointing result for the Angels who are now officially out of this year’s division race. They still have a shot at the second wild card, though, with three games left in their schedule. Los Angeles (83-76) is just a game behind Houston and currently tied with Minnesota in the wild card race.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Angels will look to get their playoff bid back on track when they take on the Texas Rangers in the second game of their four-game set tonight. Pitching for the Angels in this must-win ballgame is Jered Weaver (7-12, 4.76 ERA). This will be Weaver’s first start since exiting Sunday’s game against Seattle with shoulder tightness. He threw five strong innings in that 3-2 win, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out three. The Angels are 2-4 in Weaver’s last six starts.
That being said, he will have his work cut out for him against a Texas team that is fourth in the majors in RBIs (687) this season. The Angels need to step it up on the offensive end if they are to beat the Rangers tonight. Expected to lead the Los Angeles offense in this matchup is the red-hot David Freese. He is 8-for-23 in his last seven games with three homers and six RBIs. Freese is primed for a huge game tonight as well. He is 3-of-6 lifetime against Texas starter Martin Perez with a double.
The Rangers clinched a wild card spot in the American League with a gripping 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. Adrian Beltre delivered a key three-run double for the Rangers who are in the postseason for the first time since 2012. They are now a win or a Houston loss away from grabbing their first division title since winning two straight and going to the World Series back in 2010-11.
With history beckoning for the Rangers, they will rely on left-hander Martin Perez (3-6, 4.77 ERA) to get the job done for them tonight. He allowed two unearned runs in six innings in a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. Perez is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA in five starts in the month of September. He is 3-1 with a 4.71 ERA in five starts at home this campaign. The Rangers have lost three of their last five games with Perez as their starter.
Given Perez’s inconsistency, the onus is on the Rangers offense to pick up the scoring slack tonight. One guy who’s expected to contribute on the offensive end is Prince Fielder. He leads Texas in homers (23) and RBIs (96) this season. The first baseman has been on fire lately, going 11-of-28 in his last seven games with a homer and 10 RBIs. He’s hitless, though, in five career at-bats against Jered Weaver.
