The Angels have lost three in a row, and they look to avoid a sweep today at home against Texas. The Rangers have won four straight, and several Texas players are heating up at the plate.


Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - Nick Martinez will be on the hill for the visitors, and he's looking to snap a five game win-less skid. Martinez (5-5, 3.92 ERA) gave up seven runs in just four innings in his last start, but we won't read to much into that given it was against the Rockies in Colorado. He pitched well enough to win in three of his last five starts, but didn't get much in the way of run support. The Angels counter with rookie Andrew Heaney, who only has 10 major league starts under his belt.

2. Day Trends - The Angels haven't had a lot of success at the plate in afternoon games, ranking dead last in the majors in scoring. The news gets worse, as Martinez owns impressive career numbers in day games.

3. X-Factor - Mike Trout and Albert Pujols have combined to go 1-for-20 lifetime versus Martinez.

Selection: This is a play on the Texas Rangers +1.5 (8*)