Astros (Urquidy, 7-3, 3.38) vs Angels (Naughton, 0-2, 4.32)

Astros starter Jose Urquidy seems to have returned from a long stint on the IL unscathed. In is his third start back, he allowed 1 run over 6 innings. This bodes well for the play-off bound Astros.

The Angels are not going to the playoffs and their young starter is hardly a household name. In three starts since a call-up, Packy Naughton has had 1 premium outing sandwiched by a couple of short poor ones. The Astros’ bats are very sharp right now so I don’t fancy his chances. The Angels’ bullpen has been effective lately. Their issue at the moment is scoring runs; they are in the bottom 10% in MLB offense. The Angels have had little luck against Urquidy this season, and are 46-54 against righties.

The Astros offense is ticking over just fine, thank you very much. Their bullpen has been extra sharp of late with an ERA of 1.87 in their last 7 games. The A’s and Mariners are just close enough to keep them honest.

It is no surprise that I favor the Astros or that they are a heavy favorite. Take the extra runs today. Astros to win -1.5.