Get Expert Player Predictions for Angels vs Rays – April 08, 2025

Los Angeles Angels

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Tampa Bay Rays

As the Tampa Bay Rays prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Angels on April 8, 2025, at George M. Steinbrenner Field, both teams are looking to solidify their positions in a competitive American League. The Rays, sitting at 4-5 this season, are struggling after a recent loss. In contrast, the Angels have come out strong, boasting a 6-3 record and showcasing potent offensive firepower.

The matchup features two right-handed pitchers, with Tampa Bay projected to start Shane Baz and Los Angeles sending Kyle Hendricks to the mound. Baz, ranked as the 64th best starting pitcher according to advanced-stat Power Rankings and possessing an immaculate ERA of 0.00 this year, is looking to build on his solid start. His projections indicate he could pitch around 5.2 innings, allowing approximately 2.3 earned runs while striking out nearly 6 batters. However, his high projected hit total of 4.4 may pose challenges.

Hendricks, on the other hand, has a solid ERA of 3.00 but is viewed as one of the worst pitchers in the league according to the same Power Rankings. His projections suggest that he may struggle against a Rays offense that, while averaging 4.74 runs per game, ranks 30th in the league in home runs.

Despite their recent struggles, Tampa Bay has one of the best bullpens in the league, ranking 5th overall. This depth could be crucial in securing a win against an Angels lineup that ranks 6th in home runs but is also relatively average in other offensive categories.

With both teams eager to capitalize on their respective strengths, this first game of the series promises to be a critical early-season matchup for both squads. The Rays, as the favorites in this contest, aim to turn their season around, while the Angels look to maintain their momentum.

Los Angeles Angels Insights

• Kyle Hendricks – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+100/-130)
  Given that groundball pitchers are least effective against flyball hitters, Kyle Hendricks (34% GB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT) will be a bit disadvantaged in today’s game with 3 FB hitters in Tampa Bay’s projected batting order.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Nolan Schanuel – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-160/+125)
  Nolan Schanuel has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 88.5-mph average to last season’s 86.1-mph average.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Los Angeles Angels – 2H Moneyline
  The Los Angeles Angels bullpen grades out as the 6th-best in the league, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).
  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.

Tampa Bay Rays Insights

• Shane Baz – Over/Under 6.5 Strikeouts (+120/-155)
  Shane Baz’s higher usage percentage of his secondary pitches this season (67.7% compared to 52.1% last season) figures to work in his favor considering they are typically much more effective than fastballs.
  Explain: A pitcher who limits has fastball usage will instead heavily use change-ups, curveballs, sliders, etc. These are far more effective pitches at preventing runs and generating strikeouts.
• Danny Jansen – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-175/+135)
  Typically, batters like Danny Jansen who hit a lot of groundballs tend to perform worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of groundballs such as Kyle Hendricks.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Danny Jansen – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-175/+135)
  Danny Jansen pulls many of his flyballs (41.8% — 100th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 7th-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

• Tampa Bay Rays – Over/Under 2.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (-110/-120)
  The Tampa Bay Rays have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Under in 89 of their last 151 games (+22.26 Units / 13% ROI)
• Over/Under 8.5 Game Total (-110/-110)
  The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Game Total Under in 48 of their last 94 games (+5.40 Units / 5% ROI)
• Jonathan Aranda – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+130/-170)
  Jonathan Aranda has hit the Total Bases Over in 18 of his last 25 games (+10.10 Units / 28% ROI)