The Los Angeles Angels don’t have anything resembling a big series this season, but their upcoming series against the Houston Astros could definitely be interesting. The two key teams are separated by 4-1/2 games, and the Angels gave the Astros a tough time early in the season in Houston back when they resembled a real baseball team.
That’s no longer the case, but the Angels are coming off a 13-5 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their power display was impressive, especially at the bottom of the order as the last three hitters went 13-for-15 against the Dodgers.
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That almost certainly won’t happen tonight against the Astros. Houston will send Spencer Arrigheti to the mound, and he’s definitely worth the price of admission. Arrigheti currently has an ERA of 1.94 to go with a 7-1 record, so he’s been dominant.
His last five games have been particularly impressive, as Arrighetti has given up just five earned runs over the course of those starts. The Pittsburgh Pirates did manage to get four runs and knock him out after four innings, but that was an aberration based on his recent performance.
Whether the Angels can do the same feels problematic. The Astros have been playing better lately, and they’re 10-7 in their last 17 games. The Angels, meanwhile, have gone 4-6 in their last 10, but when they pitch well, they can be a challenge.
Their starter tonight will be Grayson Rodriguez, who has been another mystery so far. Rodriguez is coming off a series of injuries, and the Angels really have no idea what to expect in a given start.
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His last outing wasn’t good. Rodriguez got blasted by the Colorado Rockies as he gave up seven earned runs, and he failed to make it through the fourth inning. His start before that was a high-quality effort, as he limited the Detroit Tigers to just one run on two hits over five innings. Based on that, the question is which version of Rodriguez will show up tonight.
The Angels do have several players who are coming in hot offensively in this one. First and foremost among them is catcher Sebastian Romero, who had a career game yesterday against the Dodgers as he drove in six runs and went 5-for-5. Jo Adell also had a four-hit game, and Jose Siri had three hits as he scored two runs and drove in two.
The Angels have a chance to make up some ground, but the odds that they’ll actually do that aren’t good. They’ve become a bad baseball team with an awful pitching staff, although they can be impressive when they get their offense cranked up.