The Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers both want to get back on the winning path when they square off Tuesday in the opener of a three-game American League West series in Arlington, Texas.
The Angels will send left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 5.00 ERA) to the hill to start Tuesday’s game while Texas will turn to right-hander Tyler Mahle (2-0, 1.32).
Los Angeles heads north after dropping two of three games to the Astros in Houston over the weekend. The Angels fell 7-3 on Sunday to lose the series in which they were outscored 22-10.
It was the first series Los Angeles has dropped this season after winning its first four.
All three of Los Angeles’ runs in Sunday’s loss came via solo home runs as Taylor Ward (to lead off the game), Nolan Schanuel (in the second) and Jorge Soler (in the sixth) left the yard. The Angels became the first team in the majors to reach 30 home runs this season.
One of Los Angeles’ surprise players in the young campaign has been centerfielder/second baseman Kyren Paris, who won a spot on the team with a torrid spring training. Paris heads into Tuesday’s game with a .368 average and an OPS of 1.309 through his first 46 plate appearances.
He’s also bashed five home runs and stole five bases — all numbers that have him tied for first in the major leagues with a WAR of 1.5, according to Baseball Reference. This comes after Paris hit just .167 with a .532 OPS in the minors last year.
“You know, you see a lot of guys flying high in April, but you can’t find them later on,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “(Paris is) showing you what he can do. He’s showing you the talent that he has. He’s working at it, and it’s our job to try to help him keep it. And that’s all we’re trying to do. Help him keep it. So stay tuned.”
Kikuchi, the Angels’ Opening Day starter, has gone six innings in each of his three starts. He has struck out 16 and walked eight. Kikuchi’s most recent outing was a 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Wednesday in which he allowed four runs on six hits while fanning five and walking three.
Kikuchi is 4-1 with a 5.30 ERA all-time against the Rangers in eight appearances, seven of them starts.
The Rangers head home after a disappointing road trip to Chicago and Seattle, winning once against the Cubs and then getting swept by the Mariners. That sweep concluded with a 3-1 loss on Sunday in which Dustin Harris’ home run in the second inning produced the lone run for Texas.
The Rangers recorded just three other hits.
“We couldn’t get timely hits … again,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s kind of been the story lately. We’ve got to keep going, keep grinding through this. We have a good lineup, but right now we’re just sputtering a little bit. We’ve got to keep the line moving.”
Texas has scored just 51 runs this season, which is tied for its second-fewest runs through 16 games since the franchise moved to Arlington in 1972.
Mahle’s last outing was a seven-inning, one-run start in a win over the Cubs on Wednesday. He is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two previous starts against the Angels.
–Field Level Media
