With a four-game winning streak, the Angels have pulled into first place in the AL West standings. They are percentage points ahead of the Athletics, who have lost four straight games. Los Angeles can claim sole possession of first with a win and an Athletics loss today. Texas will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of their division rivals when they send Nick Tepesch to the mound. Lefty Hector Santiago takes the mound for the Angels, who we will back to win.
Santiago was recalled by the Angels from Triple-A on June 10. Since then, he has pitched to an ERA of 2.72 and threw six shutout innings last Sunday against the Red Sox en route to a no-decision. Despite his season ERA of 3.59, his record is just 3-7 this year. All three wins of the season for Santiago came in the month of July. Santiago will be tasked with keeping Adrian Beltre and Alex Rios in check, who have hurt him.
Texas is sitting 26 games out of first place in the AL West standings after reaching two straight World Series in 2010 and 2011. The Rangers enter this afternoon’s contest with just 47 wins on the season and are 22-38 at home. Tepesch is 4-7 with an ERA of 4.29 this year. This season cannot end soon enough for the Rangers, who are dealing with major injuries to their pitching staff and poor performance on offense.
When the Rangers host the Angels on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, we will use the line found at Sportsbook.ag. Here, the Angels are favored on the road. We will bet 10 percent of our bankroll on Los Angeles and the -1.5 (even) spread as they sweep the three-game series from the Rangers and stay atop the AL West standings.
