Series Preview: Angels @ Astros (Even Orbit is missing Trout)

Buckle up. Are you ready? The Astros have been nothing short of a juggernaut lately and this season. Before the Royals beat them on Tuesday, The Astros had won 11 games in a row and had scored 89 runs during that stretch The Astros have the best record in baseball, have scored the most runs (337 to the Angels 248), and have hit the most dingers. The Astros are averaging 5.5 runs per game.

To top that off, the Astros pitching staff as an MLB 2nd best (behind the Dodgers) ERA of 3.59 and 2nd best WHIP (also behind the Dodgers) of 1.20. In short, this is a very tough team. A team that has beat the Angels 5 games 2 so far this year - WITH Mike Trout in the lineup.

Question: Can the Angels avoid a sweep at the hands of the mighty Astros?

GAME 1

Matt Shoemaker v. Brad Peacock
Friday, June 9th @ 5:10PM

A Cobbler vs a Bird

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats:

Summary:

Matt Shoemaker gave up 5 runs against the Astros last time he faced them but only 2 the time for that. Shoey has been historically good against the Astros despite that last 5 run hiccup. In 2016, he faced the Astros 4 times and never gave up more than 3 runs.

Brad Peacock has had a very impressive year with a 2.30 ERA, 2.01 FIP, and 0.957 WHIP - however, most of that was from pitching out of the pen. Peacock has made 3 starts now this year, giving up 0, 4, and 3 runs. His last outing of 86 pitches against the Rangers was the most he’s thrown all year.

Verdict: Might be the best shot of an Angels win next to Sunday’s game

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GAME 2

Ricky Nolasco v. Mike Fiers
Saturday, June 10th @ 1:10PM

We need Tal’s hill back so there are no Dingerz to CF

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats:

Summary:

Ricky Nolasco will probably pitch 5-6 innings in this game. He will also probably give up a homer (maybe to Beltran or McCann). Nolasco already faced the Astros once this year and he only gave up 2 runs (2 homers) in 6 IP.

Mike Fiers beat the Angels earlier in the year, despite giving up a pair of homeruns to Yunel Escobar. He’s pitched just okay this year, but over his past 4 games hasn’t allowed more than 3 earned runs.

Verdict: Neither pitcher is super strong but Fiers has been better than Nolasco this year. Angels have a long shot at this game if they blow up Fiers.

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GAME 3

Jesse Chavez v. David Paulino (probable)
Sunday, June 11th @ 11:10AM

Paulino is the Astros #3 prospect (and #46 in MLB)

Pitcher vs. Batters

Summary:

Jesse Chavez has given up 4 runs in 13.1 against the Astros this year. He’s also coming off back to back good starts, allowing only 3 total runs in his last 12.2 innings. The Angels will need a good anchor performance out of him.

David Paulino is a 23 year old righty with a mid 90s fastball and a power curve and only 5 major league games under his belt. He’s pitched twice this year and both times threw a career high 89 pitches. He’s still getting his feet on the ground and hopefully won’t turn into Cy Rookie on Sunday.

Verdict: Chavez has been pitching well and Paulino is a wildcard. If Chavez has a good outing, the Angels stand a chance in this game.

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Overall Verdict: Angels could win a game and if things go really really well, they could win 2. However, the Astros are a really tough to beat as of late so don’t get too optimistic.