The Los Angeles Angels are off to a strong 2-0 start to the season, fueled by an early offensive surge from Mike Trout who is batting .667 with 2 home runs and 2 RBIs, and dominant pitching. Through a couple of games, the Angels own an impressive 1.00 team ERA, which is an encouraging sign – even in a small sample size. It’s also promising to see Mike Trout hit the way he is, along with Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe as the lineup begins to find its rhythm. While the Angels may not be favorites in the AL West, their mix of young talent and pitching upside gives them a chance to stay competitive. 

For today’s matchup, the Angels will be sending the southpaw Reid Detmers to the mound who finished last season 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA. In spring training, Detmers struggled, giving up 7 runs on 12 hits in 11.2 innings pitched. For the Astros, they’ll be sending Cristian Javier who finished last season 2-4 with a 4.62 ERA. Javier pitched well in spring training, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits in 10.2 innings pitched. Last night, Yusei Kikuchi allowed 8 hits and 2 runs against Houston, but the Angels bullpen stepped up and took care of the business from there, not giving up a single run in 4.2 innings pitched. The Astros’ offense has been slow out of the gate, and while they could generate some runs against Detmers, Trout and this Angels lineup should give up 8 hits and 2 runs against the Astros, but the Angels bullpen took care of things from there. The Astros have struggled offensively to open the season, and while they may score a few runs against Detmers, I think Mike Trout and this Angels offense will remain hot and do enough to pick up a win and start the season 3-0. 

Angels vs Astros prediction: Angels ML (+125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.