Check Out the Player Prop Odds for Angels vs Cardinals – 4/02/25

Los Angeles Angels

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St. Louis Cardinals

As the St. Louis Cardinals prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Angels on April 2, 2025, they do so after suffering a tough 9-7 loss in a tightly contested matchup yesterday. Both teams have been having strong seasons so far, with the Cardinals sitting at 3-2 and the Angels at 4-1.

Sonny Gray is projected to take the mound for St. Louis, and he’s coming off a solid performance where he pitched 5 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs while striking out 6 batters. Gray, ranked as the 28th best starting pitcher in MLB according to advanced stats, has shown promise this season with an ERA of 3.60 and an expected ERA (xERA) of 2.77, indicating he may have been a bit unlucky. He faces an Angels lineup that has struggled offensively, ranking 53rd in MLB with only 2 home runs this season.

On the other side, Yusei Kikuchi is unsteady for the Angels, having a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 4.50. His projections suggest he might yield 2.8 earned runs today, and the Cardinals’ powerful offense—ranking 7th overall with 8 home runs this season—could capitalize on Kikuchi’s high-flyball tendencies. With the Cardinals’ offense ranked 7th and the Angels’ at 53rd, it’s clear where the advantage lies.

As for the pitching matchup, Gray’s ability to manage flyballs against a light-hitting Angels lineup may tip the scales in favor of the Cardinals. The current betting odds reflect this, favoring St. Louis with a moneyline of -150, suggesting a healthy chance for them to secure a win today. The game total is set at 8.5 runs, indicating a competitive matchup worth watching for bettors and fans alike.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Yusei Kikuchi – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+105/-135)
  Yusei Kikuchi’s 95.6-mph fastball velocity since the start of last season grades out in the 82nd percentile out of all starting pitchers.
  Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
• Mike Trout – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+125/-160)
  Extreme flyball bats like Mike Trout are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Sonny Gray.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create boosted performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Los Angeles Angels – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen grades out as the 9th-best out of all teams in Major League Baseball.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game’s runs.

St. Louis Cardinals Insights

• Sonny Gray – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-140/+110)
  Given that flyball pitchers have a significant advantage over flyball bats, Sonny Gray and his 43.8% underlying FB% (via the leading projection system, THE BAT) finds himself in a strong position in today’s game being matched up with 3 opposing FB bats.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create boosted performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Brendan Donovan – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-210/+160)
  Brendan Donovan has primarily hit in the top-half of the lineup this year (80% of the time), but he is projected to hit 6th in the lineup in this game.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• Nolan Arenado – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+125/-165)
  Nolan Arenado pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (42% — 100th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards MLB’s 8th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• St. Louis Cardinals – Run Line -1.5 (+145)
  The St. Louis Cardinals have hit the Run Line in 26 of their last 41 games (+9.15 Units / 16% ROI)
• Over/Under 8.5 Game Total (-115/-105)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Game Total Under in 60 of their last 117 games (+5.45 Units / 4% ROI)
• Luis Rengifo – Over/Under 0.5 Runs (+120/-155)
  Luis Rengifo has hit the Runs Under in 19 of his last 25 away games (+9.60 Units / 24% ROI)