For the first time this season, the Angels and Astros face off with the Angels as the team leading the division. They also enter this showdown with both teams having made a big trade deadline move. Houston got Scott Kazmir and the Angels got… Shane Victorino, David Murphy and David DeJesus. OK, maybe “big” is an exaggeration for the Angels, but add them all together and you kind of get to big, right? Anyway, the stakes are higher now. The games mean more. Is it too early for it to be a “playoff-type atmosphere?”
Game 1: C.J. Wilson vs. Collin McHugh
I suppose I should make another reference to this possibly being C.J.’s last start as an Angel, but I don’t think there is any realistic chance the Halos move him before the deadline. After the deadline when Weaver is off the DL, maybe, but even then I don’t think he gets moved until the offseason and then it will only be as a salary dump.
The bigger concern in this game is that McHugh has a history of dominating the Angels in his very brief career. Apparently the Angels will be without Mike Trout for this first game, so they are already behind the 8-ball. Wait… did you say no Mike Trout?
Yeah, apparently his wrist is a bit stiff still so the team is giving him some time off. He’s even getting an MRI on the wrist, which I’m sure is just a precaution, but is concerning nonetheless. This timing is less than ideal.
Game 2: Garrett Richards vs. Lance McCullers
Richards has been on a roll of late, so if he really wants to show that he’s back to being an ace, shutting down the top challenger in the division in their own stadium sure would be a good way to go about it. McCullers will be a tough guy to go up against, but he’s starting to show signs of slowing down and struggles to go deep into games, so Richards might just need to outlast him in this one.
Game 3: Matt Shoemaker vs. Scott Kazmir
Scott Kazmir now stands in the way of the Angels making the playoffs… kind of like he did when he was with the Angels. ZING! Yeah, I’m just not down with this. Kazmir was a colossal bust for the Halos and now he’s good again and helping a rival. I mean, I guess he was last year too, so I should be used to it, but this is the first time he’s been brought in as the pro from Dover. It isn’t like Kazmir is a bad guy or anything, but his decline was so rapid and so frustrating that I still haven’t gotten over his abortion of an Angels career.
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