Houston, we have a problem. The Angels host the first place Astros for the next three games, and this whole thing can go one of three ways. The Angels can either gain a whole bunch of ground on the Colt 45’s, they could continue to tread water, or the could fall even further behind with the season getting ready to turn over to July. That last one is obviously not the optimal outcome, but given the Angels past issues with the ‘Stros, I can’t say that I’m all that confident that it won’t happen.
The Angels currently sit 5.5 games behind the Astros, or, in baseball metric speak, roughly one Altuve behind the front runners. Their positioning in third place doesn’t help matters either as it means that they would have to leap frog both the Astros and the Rangers in order to get to the front of the pack. But, on a positive note, the Astros have been striking out a ton lately. So, if anything. At least Angel pitchers will see their strikeout numbers get a little boost. Silver limings, right?
Speaking of pitchers, let’s get to the matchups.
Game 1: Hector Santiago vs. Brett Oberholtzer
Hector hasn’t been doing his best getting deep into games lately, throwing only 14.1 innings over his last three starts. Maybe it is time to re-shave that reverse mohawk into his head again. For the season, Hector still holds a sub-3.00 ERA, and over his last six starts, has posted a 3.12 ERA. So, he hasn’t been bad per se, just not the super dominant starter that we were seeing earlier in the season.
After coming back from the DL, Oberholtzer has gone 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA. It’s as if the Astros found pitching all of a sudden. But, good news, he’s a lefty, and with the Angels tilting very heavily to the right handed side of the batter’s box, this could bode well for the Halos. Of course, there is that whole “Oberholtzer has been very good” thing that could get in the way of that.
Game 2: C.J. Wilson vs. Collin McHugh
eight innings, one earned run and probably the most epic slide of the season. C. J. Wilson did everything he could to help the Angels against the Diamondbacks in his last start, and with a 3.39 ERA and a 3.51 FIP, he’s been doing everything he can toerase the memory of last season. He’s still the Angels resident Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, but this year he’s definitely been more Jekyll.
Don’t let McHugh’s 7-3 record fool you (death to pitcher wins), he’s sporting a 5.08 ERA this season, and has been one of the Astros few dull spots this season. Having him follow a lefty to face the Angels with his 9.9 H/9 this season could be just what the Angels ordered in their hopes of gaining ground.
Game 3: Matt Shoemaker vs. Lance McCullers
Matt Shoemaker, why do you have to be so infuriating? The only pitcher other than Jered Weaver to be just as maddening this season has been the Shoe. Maybe it’s because every season, this team needs a goat starter. Last year it was C.J. This year must be Shoemaker’s turn. And with a career 1-1 record and an 8.76 ERA against the Astros is four games (two starts) color me uninspired.
McCullers on the other hand is having himself an impressive rookie season. With a K/9 of 10.3, a BB/9 of 2.9 and an ERA of 2.45 over seven starts, he’s been making the Astros brass look very smart. Why couldn’t he be facing Garrett Richards?
With Albert Pujols‘ resurgence over the last month and Mike Trout‘s continued greatness, the Angels offense has the pieces in place to make some noise. And that noise isn’t just my own imagination. The offense has comeback late, and had multiple games with above-average (for the season) offensive production as far as putting runs on the board is concerned. Is this the series where the Angels flip the switch? To be honest, I’m a little hopeful at it is
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