When the Los Angeles Angels host the Washington Nationals Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif., Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will have come full circle.

Sunday’s game will complete the three-game series between the two teams, who split the first two games. This is the first time Rendon has come face-to-face with his old team since he was a key component in the Nationals’ World Series title in 2019.

But while the uniform looked familiar to Rendon, not many players did. Only seven players from the 2019 championship team remain, and three of them (Stephen Strasburg, Sean Doolittle and Joe Ross) are on the injured list.

Only Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Patrick Corbin and Tanner Rainey were on the championship team and are on the active roster now. But it didn’t matter much to Rendon, who said the reunion brought back happy memories.

“Yeah, without a doubt,” he said. “I actually have (a replica of) the World Series trophy here in my house, so I see it every day. It’s a constant reminder. It’s something spectacular, and now I want to bring that here.”

Rendon said that the changes are simply a reflection of the game today.

“It’s the business, you know?” he said. “They just had a couple of bad-luck incidents (injuries) the last couple years, and they ended up kind of dispersing everybody. It is what it is.”

Rendon is 0 for 8 with two strikeouts in the first two games of the series and still has a ways to go to look like the hitter who batted .319 with 34 homers and 126 in 2019.

He endured an injury-plagued 2021 season, and is off to a slow start so far in 2022, hitting .202 with three homers and 12 RBIs. He made just one error in 57 games last year, but has made four already this season.

“I feel like I’m getting there,” he said. “I’m getting more at-bats, more swings, getting the timing down, getting used to the new body, the new hip and the new leg. So I think we’re getting better. And we’re winning. I mean, I’ll keep hitting .200 if we keep winning.”

Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-1, 1.29 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for the Angels. He had not allowed an earned run all season until his last time out, when he gave up three runs in six innings against the Chicago White Sox, getting tagged for his first loss of the season. He has never faced the Nationals.

Right-hander Erick Fedde (2-2, 4.68) will make his sixth start of the season for the Nationals, coming off his best start of 2022 when he allowed just one run in seven innings in a win over the Rockies on Tuesday.

The performance was big for Fedde because it marked the first time he pitched more than five innings all season. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he had to convince Fedde not to try to do too much when he got ahead in the count, which ultimately will help keep his pitch count down and keep him in games longer.

“I talked a little … about not doing that, just stay within yourself and make a good pitch,” Martinez said. “I always say, when the hitter is 0-2, it becomes a different at-bat for him, so just make a good pitch, don’t try to make the turbo pitch, and you might get out of those situations in 3-4 pitches.”

Fedde never has faced the Angels.

–Field Level Media

Trevor Rogers has a tough act to follow.

Over the past three nights, Miami Marlins starters Jesus Luzardo, Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez have combined to hold the San Diego Padres to five runs (four earned) on 13 hits and six walks with 17 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

It’s a small sample size, but that’s a 1.35 ERA and 0.712 WHIP.

“We’ve gotten great starting pitching; actually, we’ve gotten great pitching from everyone the first three games of the series,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Saturday night after the Marlins won 8-0 to snap a six-game losing streak. “With an other hit here or there, we could have been looking at a very good week.”

So it’s up to Rogers on Sunday to keep the Padres’ bats cold in San Diego and give the Marlins a split of the four-game series.

The left-handed Rogers (1-4, 6.14 ERA) will be paired against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (4-0, 1.97).

Not only is Musgrove undefeated, the Padres are 5-0 in his 2022 starts.

“Joe is special,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said recently. “Not only is he very competitive and a battler, we just seem to play well behind him, both offensively and defensively.”

The Padres have outscored the opposition 37-13 in Musgrove’s five starts. They will turn to their stopper Sunday seeking to avoid losing two straight games for the first time since April 16.

The only question is how many runs the Padres can score. Though they are 8-3 over their past 11 games, they have struggled at the plate. No one below the No. 4 hitter in their lineup the past two nights is hitting .200.

Rogers could be the remedy for San Diego’s slumping offense.

In his first five starts this season, he has given up 17 runs (15 earned) on 22 hits and 11 walks with 18 strikeouts in 22 innings. He has a 1.50 WHIP, and opposing hitters are batting .262 against him.

Rogers, who finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting last year, had a 2.64 ERA and a 1.150 WHIP while being named to the National League All-Star team.

His strikeouts-per-nine-innings count of 7.4 is down 3.2 from a year ago. Meanwhile, he is giving up more hits and walks. Rogers will face the Padres for the first time.

Meanwhile, Musgrove has given up 10 runs (seven earned) on 27 hits and just two walks with 33 strikeouts in 32 innings this season for a 0.906 WHIP and a .227 opponents’ batting average.

“Joe is getting better and better and strives to be even better,” Melvin said. “He worked hard to add the changeup to his mix this season. And he’s not afraid to use it, which gives him a five-pitch mix. The biggest thing is confidence. Off the success that he had last season and the changes he’s made this year, he is very confident in what he is doing and what he brings to the game.”

–Field Level Media

After breaking out of their offensive funk Saturday, the San Francisco Giants will try to continue their revival Sunday when they host the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Giants snapped their five-game losing streak Saturday by hammering the Cardinals, 13-7. They powered up with a grand slam from Wilmer Flores and two-run homers from Mauricio Dubon and Darin Ruf after scoring just five runs in their previous four games.

That was Ruf’s first homer in 27 games and 100 at bats. He had 16 homers in 262 at bats last year.

“Darin, he needed that — we all needed that,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.

The Giants had lost seven of their previous eight games while getting outscored 51-23.

The slump-breaking victory came with a cost, though, because first baseman Brandon Belt exited the game in the eighth inning after suffering neck stiffness during the game.

Belt drew three walks and scored two runs Saturday in his first game back from the COVID-19 list. Kapler said Belt began feeling discomfort earlier in the game and he is considered day-to-day with the ailment.

Right-hander Jakob Junis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the starting pitching assignment for the Giants as they bid for a split of this four-game series at Oracle Park.

Junis has pitched five scoreless innings in each of his two outings this season. He has struck out 10 batters and walked only one while allowing seven hits.

He is 0-0 with a 2.87 ERA in four career appearances against the Cardinals, including three starts.

Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson (2-2, 3.16 ERA) is coming off a 7-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. After throwing 12 2/3 scoreless innings in his previous two starts, Hudson allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks in six innings on Tuesday.

“I forced them to swing the bat,” Hudson said. “I was living and dying by the ground ball, I guess.”

“‘Dak’ was good,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He got ahead of a lot of hitters. I think the first 15 out of 18 he got ahead of.”

Hudson is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four career appearances against the Giants, including two starts.

The Cardinals also have picked up their offense while scoring 27 runs in their past four games. They had 14 hits and worked three walks in Saturday’s loss.

“I liked what our offense did,” Marmol said. “We had opportunities, we took advantage of some and left some guys on, but overall there’s some bright spots in what we did today.”

Dylan Carlson is in a 6-for-16 upturn with a double, a homer and four RBIs over the past six games — matching his run production for April. Rookie Juan Yepez is 7-for-16 with three doubles with in four games since his recall from Triple-A Memphis.

Catcher Yadier Molina is 10-for-32 during his seven-game hitting streak that lifted his batting average from .138 to .230. After hitting just .188 in April, Tyler O’Neill is 7-for-28 with two doubles, a triple, a homer and seven RBIs in seven games in May.

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians will try to capture their four-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, but they know the task will be a tall one.

That’s because they will be facing one of the top pitchers in the American League this season in right-hander Alek Manoah (4-0, 1.45 ERA). He’s tied for the most wins in the majors and has the second-best ERA in the AL. He has a 13-2 record in 25 career starts.

The Guardians will recall left-hander Konnor Pilkington (0-0, 0.00) from Triple-A Columbus to make his first major-league start. The rookie tossed five scoreless innings in three relief appearances for Cleveland earlier this season.

The 6-foot-6 Manoah has never faced Cleveland in his brief career. He was No. 11 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.

“I feel so good when he’s on the mound,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told the Toronto Star.

The two teams split a doubleheader on Saturday and the Guardians won Thursday.

Kevin Gausman was the winning pitcher in Game 1 on Saturday. With Manoah and Jose Berrios in the rotation, Toronto is well-fortified.

Toronto reliever Adam Cimber, who formerly played in Cleveland, said Manoah has a chance to be very special.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “It’s not a fluke. He’s the real deal, man. … He’s just nasty, man.”

The Guardians were excited about two defensive gems made by second baseman Andres Gimenez in the second game of the doubleheader won by Cleveland 8-2. He made two diving stops on balls that looked like sure hits by the Blue Jays.

“We knew he was capable of that,” said Guardians bench coach DeMarlo Hale. “It’s helped that his offense is coming together. He’s feeling pretty good about himself. We like what we see of him, no doubt.”

Gimenez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in Game 2 and is now batting .348 on the season. In his past nine games, he’s batting .412 (14-for-34), with four extra base hits and nine RBIs.

First baseman Owen Miller was 2-for-3 in the nightcap with two runs scored and two RBIs and is batting a team-high .353.

And right fielder Franmil Reyes is starting to hit. He was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and his third homer of the season in the second game on Saturday. It was his first long ball since April 22. During his current five-game hitting streak, he’s batting .474 (9-for-19) to finally get over the .200 mark (.204).

“He’s going to battle his (butt) off,” Hale said of Reyes. “He has the power to turn the game around.”

Rookie outfielder Steven Kwan has hit safely in seven consecutive games and knocked in a run in five games in a row. During the hitting streak, he’s batting .286 (8-for-28).

Hale said it’s a benefit that the Guardians have several players who can play more than one position, including Josh Naylor (first base, right field), Miller (first and second base) and Gimenez (second base and shortstop).

He said eventually, the players will become more comfortable at one position, such as Miller, who is best suited to play first base.

–Field Level Media

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez had moments last season when he pitched like an ace, often doing so when Houston was in dire need of an effective performance from a starter.

On Saturday against the visiting Detroit Tigers, Valdez delivered an effort that could qualify as underappreciated.

With Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez pitching brilliantly, Valdez weaved his way in and out of trouble. He kept the Astros in contention long enough for them to mount a two-run, eighth-inning rally in a 3-2 victory.

The Astros can sweep this four-game series and their seven-game homestand with a win in the finale for both teams on Sunday.

Valdez allowed nine hits and one walk over six innings yet surrendered only two runs. It was a display of maturation, because in seasons prior, he might not have weathered such a storm.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a thing of maturity,” Valdez said. “In the past, I would give up one or two hits and I would lose my focus. Now I can give up four or five hits and stay focused and continue working on the game.”

Astros manager Dusty Baker added: “What I saw more than anything is he didn’t get frustrated. Sometimes young pitchers, when they’re giving up hits that are dribbling through there, sometimes they can start feeling sorry for themselves or it’s a bad day or bad look. That’s where guys mature. It’s like, OK, they’ve gotten some hits. It’s time for me to not let them push any across the plate. He kept battling and battling. That’s one of the best battles that I’ve seen him exhibit.”

Right-hander Jake Odorizzi (2-2, 4.15 ERA) will start the series finale for the Astros on Sunday. His previous outing not only marked his second consecutive quality start, but his 6 2/3 scoreless innings marked his longest appearance with Houston.

Odorizzi allowed four hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on May 2, on the heels of allowing one run on one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings in a 5-1 victory at Texas.

Odorizzi is 6-2 with a 3.35 ERA over 14 career starts against the Tigers, including an 0-1 record and 5.40 ERA in two starts against them last season.

The Tigers will seek to avoid their fifth consecutive loss while utilizing an opener in the series finale. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch on Saturday did not name an opener for Sunday, announcing that a decision would be made later.

Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera recorded his 600th career double in the third inning, driving in Javier Baez and Robbie Grossman to pass Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for 19th place on the career RBI list with 1,813.

Cabrera joined Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols as the only players in history with 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 500 home runs.

“Miggy is making history, and we’re following along,” Hinch. “Every day we’ve got to remind ourselves to enjoy it. We’re seeing historical things with him. We’re enjoying it, but I know he wants to enjoy it in wins.”

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds will try to capture their first series of the season while the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates will attempt to end their rain-disrupted road trip on a winning note as the clubs meet in the series finale on Sunday.

The teams split Saturday’s doubleheader after Friday night’s rainout. The Pirates won the nightcap 8-5 for just their third win in 10 games while the Reds snapped a nine-game losing streak in the first game but enter Sunday having dropped 21 of their past 23 games.

Brandon Drury has been one of the few bright spots for the Reds, who are 4-23 overall. He was 5-for-8 in the two games Saturday, including a three-run homer in the nightcap as the Cincinnati rally fell short. He leads the team with five homers.

“Yeah, that’s great (personally), but this is very frustrating for all of us. I still think we can get hot and win some games,” Drury said after the loss.

The Reds will send right-hander Tyler Mahle (1-4, 7.01 ERA) to the mound on Sunday.

Mahle, Cincinnati’s Opening Day starter, is making his team-leading seventh start of the season. He has two starts of at least five innings on a staff that is the only one in the majors without a six-inning start in 2022.

Mahle was 3-1 with a 4.00 ERA in five starts against the Pirates in 2021 and will make his 12th lifetime start against Pittsburgh. He is 4-4 with a 3.94 ERA in his previous 11 starts against Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will counter with right-hander Zach Thompson (1-3, 9.39), who will make his fifth start and sixth appearance of the season. Thompson has lost three of his four starts.

Thompson returns to the rotation after making his first relief appearance in Wednesday night’s nightcap to the split doubleheader in Detroit. He threw a scoreless inning to earn his first win as a Pirate.

Lifetime against the Reds, Thompson is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts, both in 2021 as a member of the Miami Marlins.

The Pirates placed Roberto Perez on the injured list immediately following Saturday’s first game after the catcher hurt his left hamstring rounding second base in the eighth inning of the 9-2 loss to the Reds. To take Perez’s place, the Pirates promoted Michael Perez from Triple-A Indianapolis.

What complicated matters for the Pirates was the sixth-inning ejection of their other catcher, Andrew Knapp, for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. That meant when Perez was injured, infielder Josh VanMeter had to serve as the emergency catcher in the eighth as the Reds scored seven runs.

“It happened really fast,” VanMeter said. “Pitchers did a really good job working with me. Didn’t bounce too many balls, which made it easy. (Stinks) that we lost and it unfolded that way, but it’s part of the gig. Just got to step up.”

Knapp regretted the ejection after the game.

“It’s a horrible feeling,” he added. “I feel terrible. Shouldn’t happen. I feel bad for the guys who came into the game to pitch. I feel bad for Josh, the whole team. It falls on me to be smarter than that. There’s really no excuse.”

The Reds were expecting to activate left-hander Nick Lodolo off the injured list in time for Saturday’s doubleheader, but that plan was scratched Friday when his latest exam indicated his lower-back injury had not recovered sufficiently.

“It’s definitely concerning that he can’t make a start,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I have not been told that it’s a long-term issue. Anything that keeps a major league player out for any amount of time is obviously concerning. I don’t know exactly what that means for when we can expect him back.”

–Field Level Media