Milwaukee reaches Anaheim at 67-41, holding the National League’s best record and a five-game division cushion. The Brewers are 6-4 across ten games, batting .266 while outscoring opponents by three. That stretch ended poorly, with Wednesday’s 16-3 beating completing a series loss in San Francisco. Their pitching staff still owns a 3.51 ERA, second overall, with a National League-leading 1,047 strikeouts. Los Angeles stands 42-67, tied with Colorado for baseball’s worst record, and owns a 24-31 home mark. The Angels have dropped six of seven, including three consecutive losses against Houston before Thursday’s shared rest day. This opener concludes Milwaukee’s California trip and marks the clubs’ first meeting this season. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.

Shane Drohan’s recent form contains one Coors Field blemish and four strong workload-building starts immediately before it. Colorado scored five runs across six innings last Friday, producing his season-high earned-run total. Before that, Drohan posted a 3.38 ERA with 24 strikeouts and three walks across four July starts. He completed 24 innings during that run and never allowed more than three earned runs. His July 18 outing against Miami produced six innings and a career-high nine strikeouts. That command supports his 3.01 FIP, 3.31 xERA, 24.0% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate. His four-seamer has held hitters to .128 with a 32.1% whiff rate, while his slider produces 39.0% whiffs. The vulnerable sinker has yielded a .589 slugging percentage, giving Adell and Grissom a clear attack point. Los Angeles has managed only a .717 OPS against lefties, and its 88.1 mph average exit velocity ranks 25th.

Ryan Johnson’s 7.34 ERA includes a brief improvement before last weekend’s collapse. Across his previous seven starts, he carried a 5.40 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings. His best recent turn brought six scoreless innings and a career-high eight strikeouts against Detroit. San Francisco erased that progress, collecting eight runs and eight hits before Johnson finished the fourth inning. His two post-break starts now contain nine earned runs, ten hits, four walks, and a 9.72 ERA. Johnson has surrendered 11 homers across 41 2/3 season innings, including five during four July appearances. His splitter remains excellent, holding hitters to .156/.222 with a 34.6% whiff rate. The sinker has allowed a .407 average, .815 slugging percentage, and 50.9% hard-hit rate. Left-handed hitters own .292/.370/.510 against him, while Milwaukee has batted .262 against righties. Johnson also owns 10.13 ERAs in the first and third innings, exposing two early scoring windows.

Milwaukee’s recent offense has become increasingly dependent on its youngest hitters and Brice Turang. Turang is batting .342/.405/.474 across ten games, with 13 hits, six RBI, and four walks. His latest seven are even stronger: .444/.500/.593 with 12 hits and only six strikeouts. Cooper Pratt has been the lineup’s hottest hitter, producing .407/.452/.667 with two homers and seven RBI across nine games. He has also scored six times and stolen three bases, adding value whenever Johnson permits traffic. Joey Ortiz owns a 1.102 OPS during his latest eight games, with five extra-base hits and five RBI. Andrew Vaughn has contributed a .983 OPS and two homers, while Luis Lara has driven in eight. That production offsets cold stretches from Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, and Garrett Mitchell. Chourio has slugged .293 across ten games, Contreras owns a .229 OBP, and Mitchell is batting .103. Milwaukee has remained 6-4 despite receiving limited production from three established regulars.

Brewers vs. Angels pick, best bet

Los Angeles’ recent offense has been better than its six losses suggest, especially through the middle. Nolan Schanuel leads the club over ten games at .333/.419/.389, reaching safely 18 times across 43 plate appearances. Vaughn Grissom has produced .325/.372/.550 with two homers, ten RBI, and five runs. Jo Adell owns a .947 OPS in that window, supported by three homers and nine RBI. Mike Trout is batting .294 with a .419 OBP, although his ten hits have produced only one RBI. The lineup weakens around them: Zach Neto has struck out 14 times, while Jorge Soler has struck out 13. Neto owns a .593 OPS during the stretch, and Soler sits at .580. Recent relief pitching supplies the greater concern. Sam Bachman helped waste a 4-0 lead Monday, when Houston scored four ninth-inning runs. Mitch Farris then absorbed losses on consecutive nights as Houston completed the sweep. Los Angeles also traded Chase Silseth, removing a reliever carrying a 2.72 ERA. Milwaukee’s bullpen was hammered Wednesday, with Aaron Ashby allowing four runs and Bryse Wilson surrendering three. Thursday’s rest restored Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Milwaukee’s primary late-inning structure. Warm 85-degree air and a light breeze toward left should improve carry inside a usually suppressive park.

Milwaukee deserves its substantial favorite status, although the -168 moneyline carries limited value. The -1.5 run line attacks Johnson’s post-break decline and Milwaukee’s hottest section of the lineup. Turang, Pratt, Ortiz, Vaughn, and Lara have supplied consistent traffic while several veteran bats search for better swings. Los Angeles can reach Drohan through Adell and Grissom whenever he leans heavily upon the sinker. Drohan can counter by emphasizing two pitches generating whiff rates above 32%. The total of nine remains complicated, with Johnson and warm air pulling against Drohan and Angel Stadium’s suppressive run factor. Milwaukee’s rested bullpen provides the cleaner late-game advantage against an Angels group missing Silseth. Johnson’s early-inning vulnerability should give the Brewers enough separation before those bullpens become involved.

Best bet: Brewers -1.5 (-105), playable through -120

Projected score: Brewers 7, Angels 3

Best bet: Brewers -1.5 (-105) vs. Angels

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