Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/29/26

After jumping out to an early 6-0 lead, Reid Detmers ran into trouble in the fifth inning, allowing 3 earned runs. However, everything unraveled for the Angels in the sixth, when Walbert Urena surrendered 6 earned runs to the Astros, putting Los Angeles in an 11-6 hole they couldn’t recover from. The Angels now look to bounce back as they send Jack Kochanowicz to the mound, who finished last season 3-11 with a 6.81 ERA. In spring training, Kochanowicz looked sharp, allowing 3 earned runs on 11 hits and struck out 15 in 16.2 innings pitched. For the Astros, rookie Tatsuya Imai makes his highly anticipated MLB debut. In spring, he pitched 6 scoreless innings while striking out 7. 

The Astros finally showed some signs of life offensively, putting up 11 runs on 13 hits in yesterday’s matchup. The Astros are sizable favorites in this matchup, and I can see why that is with Imai taking the mound and knowing how dangerous this Houston lineup can be. However, this Angels team has also proven they can hit in this series, scoring 18 runs in their first 3 games. Outside of those 2 tough innings yesterday, the Angels have looked solid, particularly with their bullpen and overall offensive consistency early in the season. With that in mind, there’s a reason to expect a more competitive game here. Look for the Angels to keep this one close as they wrap up their four-game series.  

Angels vs Astros prediction: LA Angels +1.5 (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.