Series Preview: Reds @ Angels (Wild Horse)

Reds (36-40 ) @ Angels (39-40)

The Angels briefly had a taste of what it felt like to have their head above water. Then they played the Cardinals. The only way they get above water here, of course, is with a two-game sweep. Yasiel “Wild Horse” Puig will be making his return to the Big A where he has a .313 AVG and 3 home runs in 9 games. He’s been on a tear as of late, with a .400 AVG and .449 OBP with 5 home runs over the past 2 weeks.

These two teams have faced each other only 12 times since they began playing in 2002 and the Angels are up in the series 8 games to 4, including a 3 game sweep in 2016.

Know your foe:

Reds - who’s hot (last 7 days):

Weather Forecast

GAME 1

(L) Andrew Heaney (5.68 ERA) v. (R) Tyler Mahle (4.17 ERA)
Tuesday, June 25th @ 7:07PM

Angels Summary:

Heaney’s best game score of the year was 60 when he allowed only 2 hits over 5 innings against the Rays. His last start? Not so great. Heaney faced 19 batters and served up 4 hits and 4 walks. In fact, over his last 3 starts, Heaney’s walk totals have ticked up from 2 to 3 and now 4. This is a trend he will hopefully turn around in this start.

Pitch Data:

Reds Summary:

Mahle’s 7 losses don’t really tell the whole story. He has a decent 4.15 FIP a 9.27 K/9 ratio. In 4 of his losses, Mahle didn’t even allow more than 3 runs. His last time out, Mahle held the Astros to 4 hits and 2 ER over 7 innings while striking out 7. Hailing from OC, Mahle may have a bit of a fan club in the house.

Pitch Data:

---

GAME 2

TBD v. (R) Tanner Roark (3.47 ERA)
Wednesday, June 26th @ 5:07PM

Pitcher vs. Hitters:

Notable Stats:

Reds Summary:

Tanner Roark has allowed only 6 home runs all year - 4 of them in his last 4 starts. Outside of Luis Castillo, Roark has perhaps been their most reliable starter, but he’s not without his flaws. Lefties have an .871 OPS off Roark in 2019 with 5 of his 6 home runs allowed.

Pitch Data:

---

Overall Verdict: The Reds won’t be an an easy pushover. They weren’t so hot to start the year but have been getting warmer if last week’s sweep of the Astros was any sort of sign. It’s a two game set that could go either way.

Current Standings (sorted by playoff odds)

Notes/Credits:
(Pitch tracking data from baseballsavant.mlb.com)
(Splits from FanGraphs Splits Tool and Baseball Reference)
(Standings/odds from fivethirtyeight.com)