An opportunity for a sweep awaits the Los Angeles Angels when they close out a series in Anaheim against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday’s baseball betting card.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 – 07:07 PM EDT at Angel Stadium
Shohei Ohtani has made his presence felt in the series between the Rays and Angels by swinging his bat. On Wednesday, Ohtani looks to remind Tampa Bay that he can pitch as well when he heads to the Anaheim mound in search of a triumph to complete a sweep of the suddenly struggling Rays.
Halos Hammer Eight HR in First Two Games of Set
Online betting sites are giving the nod to the Angels to complete the broom job behind Ohtani (3-2, 3.08). The Anaheim side is a slight favorite around -120 going up against Shane McClanahan (2-2, 3.06) and the Rays, with a lucky 7 for the scoreboard target.
Ohtani went yard twice at the Big A on Monday, providing half of the Angels’ four long balls in an 11-3 win. Noah Syndergaard did his job on the mound by pitching into the sixth and allowing just one run while striking out seven, helping the home side to the winner’s circle as a -120 favorite at BetOnline.
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The Angels also hit four homers in Game 2 on Tuesday, with Mike Trout providing two of the clouts, but it was rookie hurler Reid Detmers who hogged the spotlight with a complete-game no-hitter in the 12-0 final. The 12th no-hitter in Angels history was the second no-no of the season following a combined effort by New York Mets pitchers earlier this year.
The first two contests easily went past the totals, leaving the ‘over’ 8-2 between the teams stretching back to 2019. Six of the last seven matchups at the Big A in Anaheim have also exceeded the totals.
Can McClanahan Bail Rays Out in Series Finale?
McClanahan was part of our free baseball picks lineup last Thursday when the Rays were in Seattle and did his best to make our run-line play on Tampa Bay stand up with 5+ innings of 2-run baseball while he was out on the T-Mobile bump. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay relievers couldn’t complete the deal.
At least the Rays managed to hang on for the win, leaving them 3-3 on the year behind their southpaw. McClanahan had some deep counts to go with five strikeouts and a pair of walks, along with a bushel of foul balls that pushed his pitch counted up and kept him from getting through that sixth inning.
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After dropping his first two trips to the mound this season, Ohtani has won his last three while putting up some monster pitching numbers. He worked scoreless baseball in the two assignments against Houston and Boston and struck out 27 batters during the 18 innings all while limiting batters to just 12 hits and two walks.
Ohtani saw the Rays once last year, that assignment coming in Anaheim where he allowed just one hit and no runs over five as a slight favorite on the MLB odds. Unfortunately, he walked six and the Angels eventually lost the contest. That was Ohtani’s first start against Tampa Bay since his rookie 2018 campaign.
Umpire Notes, Mother Nature, and a Free Pick
Now in his 25th season working games at the major league level, crew chief Marvin Hudson will call balls and strikes to finish off the series. It’s Hudson’s seventh plate assignment of 2022, and he enters with a 3-2-1 O/U/P record.
All three of Hudson’s ‘over’ winners were in contests with totals of 7½ or less at BMR's top-rated sportsbooks, and the two ‘under’ winners were in games with 8½-run marks. The last four times Hudson had the dish in Anaheim, ‘over’ bettors returned to the pay window.
Another sunny afternoon is in store for the Anaheim area, with the thermometer sitting in the low-70s for the first pitch a little after four o’clock local time. A 10-14 mph blow from the WSW (out to right-center) is also in the forecast.
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Tampa Bay swept four games in Anaheim a year ago, one of those victories coming with Ohtani on the mound. Their bats have gone quiet as this long road trip comes to an end, Wednesday afternoon, a road trip that began well enough with series wins in Oakland and Seattle.
This is just too good of a price on Ohtani the way he’s been throwing, and I’m counting on the two-way star helping his own cause with a home run as the Angels finish off the sweep of Tampa Bay.
MLB Pick: Los Angeles Angels ML (-119) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
