Discover the Game Location for Astros vs Angels – Friday, June 20, 2025

Houston Astros

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Los Angeles Angels

On June 20, 2025, the Los Angeles Angels will host the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium in what marks the beginning of a crucial series. The Angels, currently sitting at 36-38, are experiencing an average season, while the Astros boast a solid 43-31 record, reflecting their strong performance this year.

The Angels are projected to start Yusei Kikuchi, a left-handed pitcher who has seen mixed results in his 15 starts, maintaining a 2-6 record and a respectable ERA of 3.05. However, with a 4.46 xFIP, projections indicate he may struggle moving forward. Conversely, the Astros will counter with Hunter Brown, who has excelled with an 8-3 record and an impressive ERA of 1.88, positioning him as one of the elite pitchers in the league, ranking 13th among starting pitchers in MLB.

The Angels’ offense, however, presents a challenge, ranking 24th in overall capability and 27th in team batting average, although they excel in power with a 4th ranking in home runs. The Astros’ offense, on the other hand, ranks 11th, supported by a remarkable 2nd place in batting average. Additionally, over the last week, the Angels’ best hitter has managed a .308 batting average, while the Astros’ top performer has shined with a .500 average and a 1.413 OPS.

Given that Hunter Brown is a high-strikeout pitcher facing an Angels lineup that strikes out the 2nd most in MLB, expect the Astros to capitalize on this matchup. Despite the Angels’ underdog status with a moneyline of +155, this game could swing in their favor if Kikuchi outperforms expectations, particularly since the projections support both teams competing closely.

Houston Astros Insights

• Hunter Brown – Over/Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-155/+120)
  Among all starting pitchers, Hunter Brown’s fastball velocity of 96.2 mph grades out in the 91st percentile this year.
  Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
• Jeremy Pena – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+105/-135)
  Batters such as Jeremy Pena with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Yusei Kikuchi who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.
  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.
• Houston Astros – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Houston Astros’ bullpen projects as the 8th-best among 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.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Los Angeles Angels – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (+150)
  Yusei Kikuchi is an extreme flyball pitcher (33.2% FB% according to the leading projection system, THE BAT) and has the misfortune of pitching in the #10 HR venue among all major league parks in this game.
  Explain: This pitcher’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• Jo Adell – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-135/+105)
  Jo Adell has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 14.5% seasonal rate to 22.9% in the past 14 days.
  Explain: Barrel% measures how often a player hits the ball at the optimal exit velocity and launch angle and is a terrific measure of underlying power.
• Mike Trout – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-180)
  Mike Trout projects as the 10th-best hitter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X).
  Explain: THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors and regularly tests among the most accurate systems available.

Betting Trends

• Los Angeles Angels – Moneyline (+145)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Moneyline in 19 of their last 34 games (+11.35 Units / 30% ROI)
• Houston Astros – Moneyline (-165)
  The Houston Astros have hit the Moneyline in 25 of their last 39 games (+9.30 Units / 18% ROI)
• Yusei Kikuchi – Over/Under 1.5 Walks Allowed (-180/+135)
  Yusei Kikuchi has hit the Walks Allowed Over in 11 of his last 15 games (+6.45 Units / 31% ROI)