Erik Halterman touted Jose Soriano as a short-term priority pickup. Soriano's 98.2 mph average fastball velocity trails only Hunter Greene among qualified starters, but his elite ground-ball tendencies (65% rate this year) distinguish him more as a sinker-heavy option akin to Jordan Hicks. Durability remains a serious risk due to previous double Tommy John surgeries and limited innings historically. However, Soriano impressed last season (3.42 ERA, 60% ground-ball), improving early this year to a 2.70 ERA and 24% strikeout rate through his first three starts. While short-term expectations are the focus (likely not 30+ starts), Halterman strongly advises adding him immediately for near-term upside and reevaluating later.

Kyle Purviance advises caution on Jose Soriano's strikeout prop against a Rays offense ranked fourth-lowest in MLB in strikeouts per game (7.4 K/game). Despite Soriano's strong start to the season, including nine strikeouts against Cleveland and five against the White Sox in his first two appearances, Kyle expects Soriano to struggle reaching high strikeout totals against a disciplined Tampa Bay lineup. He specifically recommends betting the under if Soriano's prop is set at 5.5 or higher, particularly if plus-money values are available.

Kenny G called out Los Angeles’ troubling bullpen issues, noting a very poor 5.65 ERA that's caused significant concern early in the season. Additionally, projected starter Jose Soriano struggled badly in his last outing against Cleveland, surrendering five earned runs including two home runs. Considering Tampa Bay’s recent explosive six-home-run game, Kenny perceives the Angels' pitching—both starter and relievers—as highly vulnerable in this matchup.

Drew Martin recommended betting on the Angels as underdogs at +127 against the Rays, highlighting pitcher Jose Soriano as a key factor. Soriano brings impressive velocity, regularly throwing 98-99 mph with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings this year. Despite a subpar outing versus Cleveland (2 home runs allowed), Soriano previously dominated the Rays last year, giving up just one hit in his start. Drew emphasized Soriano as a pitcher to consistently back, especially paired against Zach Littell, who recently struggled allowing five earned runs his last time out, creating value in the Angels as underdogs.

Just A Bet Outside sees Jose Soriano as a prime bounce-back candidate against the Rays. Soriano is coming off a rough outing where he allowed five earned runs, but the analyst points out this performance is misleading due to him allowing just five hits and still achieving nine strikeouts. Historically, he is an elite ground-ball pitcher (61.9% last season, 63% so far this year) who doesn't give up many home runs. His first start this year was dominant—seven scoreless innings—and combined with Tampa Bay's recent offensive struggles (four or fewer runs in five straight until yesterday), this sets up strongly for Soriano and the Angels. Just A Bet Outside specifically mentions the Rays' high BABIP indicating potential offensive regression. Given these factors, Angels on the money line at plus odds represents strong value.

Todd Zola recommended Angels right-hander Jose Soriano as a streaming option thanks to his early-season strikeout upside (14 strikeouts over his first 12 1/3 innings). While acknowledging the Rays lineup's low strikeout tendency, Zola highlighted their struggle generating runs, ranking bottom-third in the league in scoring. Despite the Rays' propensity to make contact, the limited offensive firepower makes Soriano a viable option, especially if searching for strikeouts and low run prevention in fantasy starts this week.

Greg Peterson recommends betting against Angels starter Jose Soriano, pointing to Soriano already allowing two home runs early this season after only surrendering eight throughout the entirety of 2024. Soriano has historically struggled with command, demonstrated by a career 3.87 FIP and consistently high walk rate (three walks per nine innings). Peterson highlights that Tampa Bay starter Zack Littell excels at limiting free passes (1.5 walks per nine innings), despite a tendency for allowing home runs (1.3 HR/9 since 2023). Additionally, Tampa Bay's bullpen has been solid, ranked eighth in MLB with a 3.25 ERA, whereas the Angels' bullpen has struggled significantly, ranking 25th with a 5.58 ERA. With these factors, Peterson sees clear value in taking the Rays moneyline at -128 and also the under at 8.5 runs (his line is closer to Rays -144 and total 7.9 runs).

Dylan Rockford supports betting the Los Angeles Angels both first five innings and full game against Cleveland. Rockford highlights the Angels' home opener after two road series, noting they are playing surprisingly well despite a tough start to the season. He praised starter Jose Soriano's previous excellent outing (seven scoreless innings pitched, two hits allowed against White Sox). Rockford also points out Cleveland's tiring schedule, facing their third straight road series. Although the Guardians hold recent success over Angels historically, Cleveland’s offense is struggling (two earned runs or fewer in three straight games). Trusting Soriano over Cleveland’s pitcher Gavin Williams (five consecutive losses despite a decent outing against Royals), Rockford considers betting the Angels at home strong value.

Dylan Rockford supports betting the Los Angeles Angels both first five innings and full game against Cleveland. Rockford highlights the Angels' home opener after two road series, noting they are playing surprisingly well despite a tough start to the season. He praised starter Jose Soriano's previous excellent outing (seven scoreless innings pitched, two hits allowed against White Sox). Rockford also points out Cleveland's tiring schedule, facing their third straight road series. Although the Guardians hold recent success over Angels historically, Cleveland’s offense is struggling (two earned runs or fewer in three straight games). Trusting Soriano over Cleveland’s pitcher Gavin Williams (five consecutive losses despite a decent outing against Royals), Rockford considers betting the Angels at home strong value.

Drew Martin identified value on the Los Angeles Angels as home underdogs against Cleveland, pointing specifically to schedule factors and pitcher Jose Soriano. The Guardians are concluding a taxing nine-game, three-city road trip to start the season, potentially leading to fatigue. Meanwhile, Soriano, who Martin frequently bet on last year, is entering fresh from a strong seven-inning, two-hit outing against the White Sox while hitting upper 90s velocity. Martin contrasted him with Cleveland's Gavin Williams, who notably lacks strikeout upside (just two K's in last five-inning outing) and occasionally struggles with control. Considering these aspects, Martin believes betting the Angels at a plus price (+102) for their home opener is a strong play.

Peter Appel recommended backing Jose Soriano against the White Sox due to a significant pitching mismatch. Soriano showed strong form down the stretch in 2024, posting a 2.45 ERA over 25 second-half innings along with increasing his strikeout rate to 23% and dropping his FIP from 4.12 to 2.74. Soriano's key strengths are his elite ground-ball rate—third-best among pitchers with over 110 innings last year—and his ability to induce swing-and-miss (30%+ whiff rate) with multiple off-speed pitches. His stuff looked even sharper in spring training, improving both strikeout and ground-ball metrics. Given projections that have the Angels winning the matchup approximately 66.9% of the time, Appel emphasizes Soriano as a pitcher worthy of trust until proven otherwise.