Baseball Betting Picks: Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays

Added on Jun 30, 2012 by Jack Thurman in

MLB

Game 2 of the weekend series between the streaking Los Angeles Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are one game over .500 on the season but are mired in last place in baseball’s toughest division, the AL East. The Angels have been playing great baseball of late but are having a hard time making up any ground on the AL West leading Texas Rangers who hold a 5.5 game lead atop the division.

Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays
June 30, 2012 4:05 PM Pacific

The Los Angeles Angels have been arguably the best team in baseball during the month of June. They’ve gone 17-8 during the month and enter this contest having won 7 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately for them, however, the AL West leading Texas Rangers have been just as good. All that they’ve got from their superlative performance in June is a spot in 2nd place where they still trail the Rangers by 5.5 games.

As we noted yesterday, the Angels can’t afford to miss any opportunities to put a victory in the books and they did just that on Friday losing to Toronto. We don’t think they’ll repeat that miscue today. Texas is giving them no margin for error and they need to pick up the victories where they can if they’re going to contend for the AL West crown.

So once again we’ll back the Angels at a ‘pick’em’ price. The road team will start Garrett Richards who may not have the ‘name value’ of their other starters but has pitched very well in his limited action. Since entering the rotation in early June the Angels have won all four of his starts with Richards putting up very impressive numbers both overall and on the road. Overall, Richards sports a 1.69 ERA with a road ERA just marginally higher at 1.80. Big pitching edge in today’s matchup as the Blue Jays will counter with Henderson Alverez. Alverez has a YTD ERA of 4.36 and a home ERA of 4.83. More problematically, the Blue Jays have lost 11 of his 15 assignments YTD including 7 of 8 at the Rogers Center. Pretty simple premise–we’re getting the better team in better form with the better pitcher in better form. At a ‘pick’em’ price that’s a no brainer.

Bet Los Angeles Angels (Richards) -110 over Toronto Blue Jays (Alverez)