MLB Betting – Rays, Angels Square Off In La-La Land

Last Updated (Thursday, 19 January 2012 16:29) Thursday, 13 May 2010 21:40

Preakness betting is getting ready to heat up with lots of free baseball picks, but you can get yourself ready with a meeting of baseball thoroughbreds on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, where the Angels will host Tampa Bay, and two pitchers who are off to good starts will get the call.

Rays vs Angels odds - Wednesday, May 13, 7:05 PM ET

David Price (4-1, 1.91) threw season highs of 119 pitches and four walks, but he allowed only an unearned run on three hits over 7.2 innings in a 4-1 win in Oakland, striking out six batters along the way. Price is showing why he was the top pick in the 2007 draft, and the Rays have done an excellent job of bringing the big lefty along slowly, and Preakness Stakes betting players know all about taking it easy with their main horse. The 24-year-old has made just two starts in his career against the Angels, going 0-1 with an ERA of 5.23, but he's been decent on the road so far, posting a 2-1 mark with an 1.83 ERA in three starts.

The Angels will counter with Jered Weaver (4-1, 2.66) tossed 7.1 scoreless innings of two-hit ball in an 8-0 rout of Seattle on the road, striking out seven and walking three. Weaver did a great job of bouncing back from his first loss of the season against Detroit, although the three walks were a season high, along with the 118 pitches he threw. The 27-year-old righty has been touted to make a big move now that John Lackey is in Boston, and he's looking to stay perfect against the Rays, as he is 3-0 in four starts when facing Tampa Bay, posting a 2.77 ERA while the Rays are hitting just .200 off him.

MLB betting odds will favor the Angels at home, and the two have split the first two games of this three-game set. The Rays have been excellent on the road, going 14-4, while the Angels are a subpar 9-10 at home this season. This will basically be decided by the two pitchers, and Price didn't have a good outing in his first trip to Los Angeles last year, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits over six innings in a 6-0 loss. Weaver has been impressive at home, going 2-0 in four starts with a 2.52 ERA, which is why we're apt to give the edge to the Angels in this contest. Price has been good, no doubt, but he has to win a couple games on the road against good teams before we give him the nod away from home. Also, the Rays haven't won a series in Los Angeles since 1999, a span of 12 series. That will continue on Wednesday in a low-scoring affair.

Betting pick: Los Angeles Angels