Texas Will Take Down Angels

Rangers vs. Angels, 9:38 ET

In many divisions, we get the same old, same old. I see a lot of the same teams with the same success year after year, but with some divisions, we get new battles each year. In the AL West, it feels like the only teams that we've seen battling over and over again were the Astros and the Mariners. Sure there were some years where the Athletics or Angels would get involved, and the Rangers are the most recent World Series winner from the division, but for the most part, it is a division owned by the Astros. We have a battle today between the Rangers and the Angels in the AL West.

The Rangers are still under .500, but really haven't had a terrible season. There are a lot of middle-of-the-pack teams that we see in the league this year, and Texas is no exception. There are a lot of clubs that have been hovering around that mid-water mark, and as we come up to the trade deadline at the end of the month, I think it will be interesting to see who is a buyer and who is a seller. I'd expect Texas to hold onto their assets, but there are a lot of teams that would be interested in pieces if they were to become available. One guy that should be on everyone's wish list if he were to become available would be tonight's starter, Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi has been phenomenal this season with a 5-3 record and a 1.75 ERA. He also sports a 0.85 WHIP, these numbers are better than Tarik Skubal and other big name guys, but he's only thrown 77.1 innings. He has only made two starts since May 27th. The first one saw him go just three innings and allow three earned runs. The next was much better, seeing him allow no runs on two hits in five innings. Eovaldi has held the Angels hitters to just 17 hits in 79 at-bats in his career. 

May 31, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels have been a bit of a surprise this season as they currently sit in third place in the division, just above the Rangers. I'm not saying they have been great, they have a losing record, but they've been better than expected. This is a team that has had multiple megastars on the team in recent years and nothing to show for it. Perhaps the balance of players is working better for them, and the fact that they are getting very good performances out of some of their starters for a change is a major contribution. One of the starters who has worked out for them this season is today's starter, Jose Soriano. For the season, Soriano is 6-5 with a 3.72 ERA, but the problem is he has a 1.42 WHIP which is rather high, to me. He has given up 101 hits in 104 innings. That much traffic on basepaths inevitably leads to runs. Soriano has been much worse at home this season than on the road, having an ERA that is three runs higher at home. He hasn't been terrible in every home start, two of his past three saw him produce quality outings, but he also allowed eight earned runs on nine hits in four innings in his most recent home outing. Against the Rangers, Soriano has allowed 13 hits in 33 at-bats. 

I don't like this game for the Angels. I think the Rangers not only win the game, but likely win the first five innings as well. As noted, Soriano hasn't been terrible, but I think that he will be overmatched. There is no telling how deep Eovaldi will go in this game, but he should have the leg up on Soriano and the Angels. Back them through five, and take them full game if you'd like as well. 

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