Series preview: Angels welcome Rays to town for a four-game series

The Angels head back home for a nice stretch at home. They’ll welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for a four-game series. Here’s a preview of what the pitching preview looks like for the week.

Monday: Jose Quintana (0-2, 10.13 ERA) vs. Tyler Glasnow (3-1, 1.67 ERA)

Shohei Ohtani was scheduled to make the start for the Angels tonight but was scratched after he was hit by a pitch yesterday. So, tonight will be Jose Quintana. For Quintana, it’s been a very rough start to his Angels tenure. He’s gone 3 ¹⁄₃ innings or fewer in three of his four starts this season. He’s also allowed at least four runs in three of his four starts. With the exception of one decent outing, 2021 has been a disaster for Quintana. Last week in Texas, he lasted only 3 ¹⁄₃ innings and allowed five runs on six hits.

On the other side, Glasnow will be taking the mound for the Rays. He’s making an early case for the AL Cy Young this season, as he’s been excellent so far. In addition to an incredible ERA, his 4.5 hits per nine innings is the best in the league. His WHIP sits at 0.80 and he’s striking out nearly 14 hitters per nine innings. After a rough start against Toronto, Glasnow was fantastic in his last outing, throwing seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts.

Tuesday: TBA vs. Shane McClanahan (0-0, 4.50 ERA)

McClanahan will be making his second start of the season for Tampa Bay. Last week against Oakland he went four innings and allowed only two runs. He struck out five and issued two walks.

Wednesday: Alex Cobb (1-1, 7.16 ERA) vs. TBA

Like every member of the Angels starting rotation, Alex Cobb is hoping this is the week he can get his season on track. It’s been a rough month for him, especially after having a good spring. His first two starts weren’t awful, but his last two outings have been a disaster. In his last two starts, he’s thrown only four innings while allowing eight runs to score on 12 hits. Opponents are hitting .444 off him during those outings. The one silver lining about his outings this year have been his strikeout numbers. He has 23 in 16 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

The Rays have yet to announce their starter.

Thursday: Andrew Heaney (1-2, 5.25 ERA) vs. TBA

Heaney’s season has been strange. He’s made five starts, with a really damn good three-game stretch sandwiched between them. If you take out his first outing and his most recent outing, Heaney is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 25 strikeouts compared to only five walks. He was fantastic through those three games. If you combine his first start and his most recent one, he’s allowed 11 runs in 6 ¹⁄₃ innings with nine strikeouts in four walks. Well, here’s to hoping he can start a new solid stretch.

The Rays have yet to announce their starter.