Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/27/26

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Thursday’s Opening Day matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros resulted in a 3-0 win for the visiting Angels. Houston will look to grab their first win of the season and even the series with a win Friday evening. We saw quality pitching on both sides in Game 1 of this series, with Jose Soriano and Hunter Brown showcasing their elite stuff. Friday presents another interesting starting pitching matchup between these teams.

Yusei Kikuchi was solid in his first season with the Angels last year, posting a respectable 3.99 ERA across a career-high 178.1 innings of work. The southpaw hurler did struggle with command at times, and on Friday, he will face a Houston lineup that has plenty of experience against him. Active Houston hitters have a combined OPS of .865 across 185 combined plate appearances. Carlos Correa and Yordan Alvarez have contributed the majority of that damage. Kikuchi is one the Angels better starting options, but I am still not overly fond of his matchup to begin 2026.

Michael Burrows was acquired by the Houston Astros this offseason in the 3-team deal that sent Brandon Lowe and others to Pittsburgh. Houston traded prospect capital in that deal for the services of a right-handed starter. Burrows impressed with the Pirates in 2025, totaling 96 innings of work with a 3.94 ERA in his first true sample of Major League ball. Pittsburgh was able to part with Burrows due to their elite pitching depth, but the righty is still extremely talented. We saw what happened the last time a starting pitcher left Pittsburgh for Houston, and while Burrows is not on the level of Gerrit Cole, I do expect Houston to get the best out of their new starter. Burrows was also sharp during the spring with 18 innings and just 3 runs allowed. At current pricing I see some slight value on Houston Friday night.

Angels vs Astros prediction: Houston Astros ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -165 odds.