Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros on Saturday’s MLB slate.

The MLB is back! There’s just something about the first few weeks of baseball season that seems magical — the emerald-green grass, the chatter from the bleachers before the crack of a bat and the way the crowd builds into a collective cheer or sigh depending on the trajectory of that stitched, leather-bound sphere.

The action continues on Saturday as the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels keep their four-game series going at 7:10 p.m. ET. So far, the Halos have claimed the first two matchups of the new year, but will they still roll tonight to make it three straight wins?

Here’s a betting prediction and pick for today’s Angels vs. Astros matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Angels vs. Astros prediction, preview

The Angels finished 72-90 in 2025, but suddenly, there’s a glimpse of hope for the franchise. Granted, it’s very early, but a 2-0 start to 2026 is the first time the team has started a season with back-to-back wins in over 15 years. Yeah, things have been pretty rough for the Halos, huh? They took wins of 3-0 and 6-2 over these first two contests and there are plenty of positives to glean from each. Most importantly, Mike Trout is 4-for-6 and looks very healthy with a pair of homers and a stolen base in this small sample — knock on wood, but perhaps we’ll get a return to form this season. The Angels have an MLB-best 20 hits and five home runs so far, so early returns on the offense are encouraging. Beyond that, the infield defense also showed off last night at times with some very impressive plays.

Looking toward the Astros, better health could be all it takes to get them back to the postseason after an 87-75 finish in 2025 left them out of the field for the first time in eight years. They did lose an ace in Framber Valdez this offseason, but hope that Tatsuya Imai can replace him. Plus, there’s a ton of infield depth on this roster and even though they’ve started 0-2, we’ve seen this franchise start slow plenty of times before turning up the intensity. The Stros have 11 hits with just two runs to show for it, but they’ve stolen three bases and have a star already showing glimpses of his old self, too. Yordan Alvarez’s 2025 was marred by injury, but he’s bashed a homer already and could’ve had another had the ball not connected with one of the stadium rafters and gone careening over the foul line.

The Angels start Reid Detmers today, a lefty who pitched 63.2 innings in a relief role last season. He struck out 80 batters with a 3.96 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, but had a 6.70 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in his last season as a full-time starter back in 2024. Which version of him Los Angeles gets remains uncertain.

As for the Astros, they bring out right-hander Cristian Javier. “El Reptil,” as the Houston faithful calls him, saw just eight starts after returning from Tommy John surgery with a 4.62 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He did strike out 34 in 37 innings of work, but the most important part to note is that his velocity took a real hit upon coming back into the rotation.

Angels vs. Astros pick, best bet

On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Astros are -149 favorites on the Moneyline while the Angels hold +123 odds to win outright. The combined run total sits at an even nine for this contest.

Best Bet: Reid Detmers over 2.5 earned runs allowed (+139)

As was pointed out to me by our very own Bryan Armetta earlier today, Detmers brings a career ERA of 7.83 and 1.809 WHIP in 12 career games against Houston, nine of which were starts. Woof. Yes, this isn’t the same Astros group as in years past, but goodness. This team simply has the guy’s number. After a couple of tough days, I fully expect the Stros to bounce back with a big day in the box score while Detmers is in the game.

Strong Lean: Race to three runs – HOU Astros (-105)

You get the idea from the last pick, but I also like this one to cash as well even if Detmers doesn’t give up three earned runs himself. The Astros have far too much talent to stay cold for long, especially with veterans like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and more in the mix. With the Angels’ best two pitchers already out of the way in this series, there are better days in store for the home team. Having Alvarez back this season should do wonders for an offense that hit well for contact last season but wasn’t great with RISP, and there’s plenty of surrounding talent as well.