Rangers at Angels
The Texas Rangers may want to consider pitching around Mike Trout when they visit the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday for the finale of their two-game series. Trout helped the Angels snap a five-game losing streak on Tuesday, hitting his major league-leading 43rd homer - and 11th against the Angels this season - in a 5-2 victory.
Kole Calhoun and Brian Goodwin drove in two runs apiece in the win but were overshadowed by Trout, who reached the 100-RBI mark for the third time in his career with his solo blast in the eighth inning. Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 while batting third behind Trout and is hitting .359 with a home run and 11 RBIs over his last 16 games. Texas fell to 16-27 since the All-Star break and has scored a total of 10 runs over its last five contests. Danny Santana broke out of a 1-for-21 slide with an eighth-inning homer on Tuesday, but Rougned Odor was hitless in three at-bats and is 0-for-24 over his last seven games.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Texas), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Ariel Jurado (6-10, 5.48 ERA) vs. Angels LH Patrick Sandoval (0-1, 6.75)
Jurado lost his fourth straight start on Thursday after allowing six runs and 10 hits over seven innings against the Chicago White Sox. The 23-year-old Panamanian began the month with a strong outing but has given up a total of 22 runs - 16 earned - over his last three outings. Jurado is 0-1 with a 5.64 ERA in four career games (three starts) versus the Angels and has struggled to contain Trout (4-for-6, three home runs) and Calhoun (5-for-10, one homer).
Sandoval still is seeking his first career victory after giving up four runs in 3 1/3 frames against Texas last Wednesday. “I felt like I was in rhythm the whole time,” Sandoval told reporters. “I don’t feel like I was rushing things. I just couldn’t execute on some pitches, and they executed on those miscues.” The 22-year-old rookie has recorded 18 strikeouts against seven walks over his first four major-league games (three starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Texas has used three or fewer pitchers in six consecutive games.
2. The Angels activated Keynan Middleton from the 60-day injured list and optioned fellow RHP Taylor Cole to Triple-A Salt Lake.
3. Texas placed DH-OF Hunter Pence (lower back) on the 10-day IL and recalled C-INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Double-A Frisco.