LOS ANGELES ANGELS (10-5)

at TEXAS RANGERS (10-5)

First pitch: Monday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
Line: Texas -145, L.A. Angels +135, Total: 9

After a nine-game road trip, the Rangers get a chance to stay perfect at home when they host the rival Angels for early control of the A.L. West on Monday night. Baseball scores.

Texas started the season by sweeping Boston and Seattle in Arlington, outscoring their opponents 42-20 over the six games. Monday’s starter, lefty C.J. Wilson, was on the mound for two of those games. Since moving into the rotation last season, he’s gone 12-3 with a 3.61 ERA at home during the regular season, and the Rangers have won 17 of his 21 starts. He made five starts against the Angels a year ago, going 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA while Texas won four of them. Baseball odds.

The Angels will counter from Ervin Santana, who has been far more effective on the road in recent seasons. Since 2008, he’s 16-15 with a 4.51 ERA at home, but 25-11 with a 3.55 ERA on the road. His performance at Texas has been a little less impressive though. His ’08-11 ERA in Arlington is 5.08, though the Angels have gone 3-1 in his starts there. A year ago, he allowed two earned runs over eight innings in a July start, but got touched up for five runs in 6 1/3 in October. His overall track record against the Rangers has been just as inconsistent. In the past two seasons he’s thrown two shutouts against the Rangers, but he’s also given up five runs or more in three of his six starts against Texas. Baseball spreads.

Still, considering Santana’s solid record on the road, and the fact that the road-weary Rangers just played in New York Sunday night and are still without reigning MVP Josh Hamilton, this is a good night to go with the underdog. My pick is Los Angeles.The FoxSheets have a trend that shows Santana has delivered as an underdog:

SANTANA is 15-4 (+14.5 Units) against the money line as an underdog of +100 to +150 over the last 2 seasons. (Team’s Record) The average score was SANTANA 4.9, OPPONENT 3.6 – (Rating = 3*)