Angels vs. Rays Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, August 23 (José Suarez Gives Angels Edge)
By Peter Dewey
Two teams going in the opposite direction this season face off Tuesday, as the Tampa Bay Rays host the Los Angeles Angels and Shohei Ohtani.
Tampa Bay is making a run for the AL East crown with the New York Yankees struggling, while the Angels continue to slip further and further into the abyss after a hot start to the 2022 season.
It’s rare that the Angels have a pitching edge when Ohtani isn’t pitching, but they may in this matchup with Jose Suarez (4-5, 4.12 ERA) taking on Tampa’s Corey Kluber (7-7, 4.33 ERA).
Here are the odds from DraftKings for Tuesday’s game:
Angels vs. Rays Odds, Run Line and Total
Run Line:
- Angels +1.5 (-170)
- Rays -1.5 (+145)
Moneyline:
- Angels: +145
- Rays: -170
Total:
- 7 (Over +100/Under -120)
Angels vs. Rays Prediction and Pick
For the season, both of these starters look very similar, but Suarez has clearly been the better pitcher as of late.
Over his last four starts, Suarez is 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched. Granted it came against easier competition in the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics (twice) and Seattle Mariners, but it’s still an impressive stretch.
Plus, the Rays have been far from a good offense this season, ranking 24th in OPS on the season and 18th in OPS against lefties.
Kluber has been brutal for over a month, compiling a 5.62 ERA since the start of July. The Rays have gone 5-4 in his nine starts, but they’re going to need to give him run support to get it done. Tampa has scored five or more runs in four of the five wins in Kluber’s last nine outings.
I’m going to side with Suarez and the Angels as a road dog here. It’s rare you’ll get a favorable spot for this Angels team at all this season, but this is as good as they come.
LEAN: Angels ML (+145)
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.