MLB Baseball
2026-07-25 - Los Angeles Angels at San Francisco Giants
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Saturday 25th July 2026 - Scheduled 4:05pm EST
9:05pm (British Time)
Preview
An inter-League series between two West Coast teams continues on Saturday and there is an increasing chance that both of these teams will be trading away key pieces before the trade deadline coming up in early August. The San Francisco Giants (43-60) earned the win over the Los Angeles Angels (41-63), but both are at least 11.5 games out of the Wild Card places in their respective Leagues and contenders will be circling around important pieces.
With that in mind, the Giants will be giving the ball to Robbie Ray on Saturday and the fans will be aware that this could be his last start for the team. The pitcher has an 8-6 record and a 3.33 ERA in twenty appearances this season and nineteen of those have been in starts, which has led to the likes of the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays being linked with a move to bring in the veteran.
Robbie Ray has shown he has recovered his strength over the last eighteen months having had just eight starts between 2023 and 2024. The numbers this season have been impressive considering Ray has been pitching for a struggling team and the fact that he is out of contract at the end of this campaign means the Giants are almost forced to let him go if a suitable offer comes in.
Last month, Robbie Ray gave up five runs in an outing, but he has bounced back to put together a 4-0 record and a 1.21 ERA in his last six appearances with the last five being starts and the first of those seeing Robbie Ray come into the game in the Second Inning.
He also holds a 3-1 record and 2.53 ERA from five career starts against the Los Angeles Angels and Robbie Ray is playing with enough confidence to produce at least one more focused start in this uniform.
The Angels will counter by handing the ball to sophomore Major League pitcher Ryan Johnson who has a 2-4 record and 6.10 ERA from ten appearances made this season. Seven of those have been in starts and it is clear that Los Angeles will allow this young pitcher to prove his worth for 2027 in the remainder of the 2026 regular season.
A number of the roster are being linked with moves away from the Angels, but Ryan Johnson can at least play with the focus of knowing he will be part of the starting rotation over the next two months.
Ryan Johnson should be credited for the fact he has a 2-2 record with a 2.52 ERA in his last five starts for the Angels. He has managed to last at least 5 Innings in four of those five starts as well as Ryan Johnson prepares to start against the San Francisco Giants for the first time.
Prediction
Trade rumours can have a big impact on performances of players at this time of the season, but veteran Robbie Ray should be able to quieten the noise.
He can help the San Francisco Giants edge to another win over the Los Angeles Angels, although respect has to be given to Ryan Johnson and his recent level produced on the mound in his second year in the Major League.
The Pick :
San Francisco Giants 4-3 Los Angeles Angels
