The Angels have lost five straight and can't find a break; the Twins just won at Yankee Stadium for the first time in over a decade. This should not be close.
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LAAMIN
LAAMIN
OverUnder
Best BetTwins
The Twins just went into Yankee Stadium and won a series for the first time since 2014, while the Angels have dropped five straight and been outscored in ugly fashion along the way. Minnesota's lineup depth gives it a real edge here even with Buxton banged up, and the Angels' rotation is stretched thin enough that backing Los Angeles feels like fighting the tape.
Angels
+Trout could return from hamstring soon
+Nothing left to lose, loose baseball possible
−Lost 5 straight games entering series
−Rotation gutted by Kikuchi, Rodriguez injuries
Twins
+Won series at Yankee Stadium, first since 2014
+3-2 in last 5, offense clicking
−Buxton re-aggravated hip injury Sunday
−Rotation also thin with Ober, Lopez, Abel out
Minnesota heads home Friday, July 10 riding real momentum after taking the series in the Bronx, while the Angels arrive at 36-55 having been outscored badly during their five-game skid. Pitching probables for this one haven't been announced yet, so the mound matchup is still a mystery, but the framing around this series is not: one club is playing loose baseball, the other is searching for answers.
The Twins' trip to New York doubled as a statement and a scare. Winning at Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2014 is the kind of thing a .500-ish club can point to when trying to convince itself it belongs in the race, and Minnesota did it by scoring 11 and 6 runs in the final two games. But Byron Buxton re-aggravating his hip on a headfirst slide Sunday is the sour note — he's already been in and out of the lineup with hip trouble twice this season, and how the Twins handle his workload against the Angels will say a lot about how healthy he really is.
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LAA Angels
MIN Twins
The Angels, meanwhile, are trying to survive with half their roster in street clothes. Mike Trout has been working his way back from a hamstring issue and could be nearing a return, but Anthony Rendon and Yoan Moncada are both out long-term, and the pitching staff has been gutted by injuries to Yusei Kikuchi, Grayson Rodriguez and others. It's not a talent gap so much as a depth gap, and depth gaps show up hardest during a stretch like this.
Los Angeles hasn't just been losing, it's been getting run out of the building — a 0-1 shutout loss to Seattle sandwiched between an 8-3 blowout loss and consecutive laughers against Boston, including a 1-8 defeat. Nothing about the last two weeks suggests the Angels are close to snapping out of it, and Minnesota's lineup, even without Buxton at full strength, should be able to keep piling on if the Angels' patchwork rotation struggles to find outs.
Los Angeles Angels
Jul 9?@ Rangers—
Jul 8?@ Rangers—
Jul 7?@ Rangers—
Minnesota Twins
Jul 9?vs Guardians—
Jul 8?vs Guardians—
Jul 7?vs Guardians—
Recent form.
There is a version of this series where the Angels catch a break — Trout back in the fold, a spot start goes well, Minnesota's own bullpen gets stretched thin after burning arms in New York. But betting on the Angels right now means betting against five straight losses and a roster that's lost as many key players as it has games this week. The Twins have the healthier roster, the better recent record and the tougher lineup, and until the Angels show something different, that's the side to lean on.
