Angels And Orioles Should Fly Over Total

Orioles vs. Angels, 9:38 ET

Yesterday was one of those days that I had a decent enough read on a game but it didn't go the way I thought it would. I took the under in the Marlins vs. Dodgers (the Marlins won). The starting pitching wasn't as stingy as I thought it was going to be, but that's okay. It was a late-game bullpen issue that sent the game over the total unfortunately - I mentioned that I thought the Marlins would win, and that I wanted to avoid a bullpen meltdown. Both things ended up happening. It was an example of how a lot of this season has gone for me. That won't hold me down though! I'm taking on the Orioles and Angels today.

Baltimore has been one of the best teams in baseball for the entire season, however, the lack of coverage about this team has been interesting. I think I saw a stat from a broadcast the other day that said since Adley Rutschman was called up the Orioles have had the fourth best record in baseball. That's very impressive stuff, but the team doesn't get much publicity because they are in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees. Still, this young squad is running circles around those giants. Actually, the biggest story from the Orioles this year is that their owner said it is unlikely they can keep their good young talent because of salary costs. I'd love to write about how ridiculous that statement is, but you care about today's game. In that thought, let's talk about the starter, Kyle Gibson. Gibson has been a pretty average starter for the season, but he's had solid run support which has provided him with 13 wins on the year. He had two very ugly starts in August - one where he allowed nine earned runs over 5.1 innings, and then his most recent start, where he allowed seven earned runs over 4.1 innings. It seems like you're either getting a quality start from him or something really bad.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels in action during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 25, 2023 in New York City. The Angels defeated the Mets 3-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

On the other hand, the Angels, a team with two of the best generational talents baseball may have ever seen, have a lot of articles written about them. Maybe most of them are about how unique the two players are, but they also get articles about how this team underperforms with the duo. In any case, the Angels tried to make a run toward the playoffs this year but instantly went on a losing streak after the trades and now have already dumped some of the players to save money. It is an embarrassment. Sure, Mike Trout has been injured (once again) and now Shohei Ohtani is no longer pitching due to injury, but this is a disaster of a team. Now the best they can hope for is that they can avoid a sweep at the hands of the Orioles. Patrick Sandoval, the lefty, is on the hill in hopes of keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard. He has also been pretty average for the season with a 4.19 ERA and a 4.45 ERA at home. The Angels are just 1-5 over his last six starts, and he has turned in just two quality starts over that stretch. The other starts haven't really been terrible, but his most recent outing was his worst as he went just 3.2 innings and allowed five earned runs.

I don't see much reason for motivation on the side of the Angels aside from not wanting to be swept. They should have a decent enough chance against Gibson, and I think the Orioles should be able to rock Sandoval. The team total for the Orioles is 4.5 and that's a decent bet, but I think both teams contribute. I'm going to take the over 9 at even money tonight.

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