Series Preview: Angels @ Reds (Ouch)

Angels (56-57) @ Reds (52-58)

The Angels will limp into Cincinnati with a different looking roster thank to recent injuries. The good news is that they don’t have to face Trevor Bauer and Angel killer Yasiel Puig is now in Cleveland. However, all is not rosy...

In their last 10 games, the Angels have managed only 2 wins, and of course they were playing some not so great teams until this past weekend. On paper, the Reds have looked like the better team as of late and the recent slew of injuries have not helped.

Good news? The Angels beat the Reds 5-1 and 5-1 back in June, albeit with a fairly different roster and a DH in the lineup.

Know your foe:

Reds - who’s hot (last week):

Weather Forecast

GAME 1

(L) Patrick Sandoval (0.00) v. (R) Luis Castillo (2.63 ERA)
Monday, Aug 5th @ 4:10PM

Angels Summary:

Patrick Sandoval will be making his big league debut in a not so favorable pitching matchup. Sandoval’s numbers haven’t looked pretty in the PCL but most pitchers are struggling to put up “normal” looking numbers in the PCL this year. In Sandoval’s case, perhaps the most worrisome is his high walk rate.

Reds Summary:

Oh boy. Luis Castillo? Sorry Patrick! Castillo has emerged as one of the top starters in the NL. This will be the first time this entire lineup will see Castillo (aside from Brian Goodwin who is 1 for 5). Castillo was recently beat up by the Rockies at home but has given up more than 3 runs in a game only 4 times in 22 starts.

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GAME 2

(L) Jose Suarez (5.66) v. (R) Anthony DeSclafani (4.07 ERA)
Tuesday, Aug 6th @ 4:10PM

Angels Summary:

Jose Suarez is still trying to find his big league footing - but at least he’s healthy - right?? Like clockwork, Suarez will likely throw 85-90 pitchers over 4-5 innings and give up 3-4 runs. The bullpen will have to pick it up from there.

Reds Summary:

He’s no Luis Castillo, but Anthony DeSclafani has been pretty solid in his own right. DeSclafani hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs in a start since June 23rd. Just like Castillo, most of the Angels entire lineup will be getting their first career looks against DeSclafani.

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Overall Verdict: The Matchups aren’t very favorable for the Angels in this short series and their best result may be to pull off a series split. If you easily feel queasy, don’t look at the playoff predictions below!

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)