2nd Oct - Rangers vs Angels

The Texas Rangers are officially returning to the MLB postseason after beating the LA Angels in their four-game series opener on Thursday night. Their magic number is at just two games to wrap up the AL West division title, a result which would represent a significant worst-to-first turnaround for a franchise that disappointed one year ago.

Martin Perez gets the ball tonight. He hasn’t enjoyed an especially consistent season overall, but he did put together a strong outing in his last start pitching six innings and giving up only two unearned runs in a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros.

Since September 13, Adrian Beltre is batting .431 with 27 RBIs and he has been on an almost unstoppable hitting run. The rest of the line-up is contributing around him and Texas looks like a formidable out in the playoffs.

The Angels won’t win a second straight AL West title, but they’re still very much in the battle for a Wildcard spot and missing out on the postseason would be a significant disappointment for an expensive roster filled with big names.

On Friday, they’ll be relying on Jered Weaver to snap out of a poor run on the road. He is 1-7 with a 7.47 ERA in eight starts on the road since early June. He has also been battling a stiff shoulder, but Weaver does have good recent history against the Rangers going 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his last five outings.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Dark horse pitching duel

On paper, these pitchers should yield runs, but we think they’ll produce a surprise pitching duel in a critical contest. Both men have good recent outings to lean on and neither line-up has been on absolute fire this week.

2. Importance of match-up

This game will be made tight by the situation as well. The Rangers are pursuing a division title, which would mean a lot to them, and the Angels can barely afford to lose another game.

3. Angels not hitting well

The Angels just aren’t hitting that well right now, they’re not getting on base and that’s a big problem. We don’t think they’ll get more than eight hits against Perez and Texas’ bullpen tonight.