Page’s Weekly LA Angels Predictions: Week Two

Thursday, April 13 vs. Rangers

Probables- Yu Darvish vs. Ricky Nolasco

Yu Darvish owns the Angels. He really does. In 13 career starts, he is 7-2 with a 3.78 ERA. While the ERA is not amazing, Darvish simply finds a way to win. He is even better at The Big A, where he is 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA. The Angels’ one hope is that Darvish has not been lights out this season, going 0-1 in two starts with a 3.65 ERA. He was extremely impressive in his last start though, he allowed one run through six innings with four strikeouts. Another thing to remember is that Darvish’s first start came against the Cleveland Indians, who have one of the best offenses in the American League. The Angels only real hope is to get Darvish out of the game early and face a tired bullpen.

Ricky Nolasco takes the mound in the rubber match of the series. He had a great first week of the season despite not picking up a win. In two starts, Nolasco pitched 11.2 innings allowing five runs. He struck out seven and owns a 3.86 ERA going into this start. Nolasco has been roughed up by a couple of newer Rangers. Jonothan Lucroy has a .417 batting average against Nolasco, with an RBI. Nolasco has gotten the better of him a few times though, striking him out twice. Carlos Gomez also has had a nice career against Nolasco. He has a .444 batting average in nine career at-bats. He has a homerun and four RBI’s as well.

This one could get out of hand for the Angels, who will have a tired bullpen by this point of the series.

Prediction- Rangers 8, Angels 2