Halos Will Take Series Opener

Rays vs. Angels, 9:38 ET

These two teams have very different story lines going on right now but both are likely to not have one of their superstars after the season ends. The Rays have a ton going on with Wander Franco and the disgusting allegations surrounding him, but my guess is he never sees a field again. On the other side, Shohei Ohtani will likely be in a different uniform as the Angels are likely to miss the playoffs once again.

I'm not really sure what to say about the Rays. I'd love to know what is going on in the clubhouse right now, but I'm sure they are all being advised to be very tight-lipped on the situation. So, let's focus on baseball. Since the announcement or story of Franco not being with the team, the Rays are 2-2. That's pretty much what they've done for the entire second half as they are 15-15 in the 30 games since the All-Star Break. The Rays are sending out Erasmo Ramirez to try and get some positive progress on the road trip and series opener. Ramirez hasn't pitched great this season with a 5.72 ERA overall and he has allowed six earned runs over 12.1 innings since joining the Rays. He is being used as an opener in this game and that is a common theme for the Rays. They have a strong bullpen and are able to do a lot of these games over the course of the season. The Angels hitters have had 39 at-bats against Ramirez and have had a lot of success with 12 hits. C.J. Cron is 5-for-10 against Ramirez as well.

The Angels host the Rays today as they start a series in Los Angeles. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels are once again below .500 for the season. Since August started, the Angels are 4-11. That's after they made additions at the deadline to prove that they were going to try and make a run at the playoffs. Their big addition, Lucas Giolito, hasn't pitched all that well for them since coming over. Their offense has over five runs just three times in those 15 games. Today they send out Tyler Anderson to the hill. Anderson has a 5.28 overall ERA, and he has been slightly better at home for the season with a 4.80 ERA. He had a decent enough July where he allowed just nine earned runs. In two August starts, he has allowed nine earned runs, including seven in his last start against the Astros. He's been kind of inconsistent over his last four home starts as well. He allowed two earned runs over five innings in his most recent home start. Prior to that, he allowed four earned over six, and prior to that, he allowed one earned over three innings. You really don't know what you'll get with him, but you should know that it is unlikely that he will put up a shutout.

I do think the over is a likely outcome because Anderson will allow runs and Ramirez is likely to allow runs as well. However, I think that the Angels will probably win the game and I like that play better. I don't want to take the over because the Angels offense has struggled to put up runs. However, in this game, I do think the Angels will be able to win a low scoring one, but I also think it is possible they can break out a bit in this one. Either way, my analysis is pointing to the Angels winning the game.

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