The Rangers enter having lost seven of their last eight, and will be on their way to missing the postseason for the 13th time in 18 years.
Team newbie Miguel Gonzales, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox last August 31, will be tapped for the starting pitcher duties for the game. The 33-year-old is definitely hard to gauge at this point- although the Angels are only hitting .172 against him all-time (21-for-122), he has been below average this season (7-11, 4.86 ERA), and he just had two ugly starts – gave up 11 runs on 11 hits and two walks with only three strikeouts in just 5.1 innings.
Offensively, the three Rangers that have the most trending stats are Shin-Soo Choo, Delino DeShields, and Robinson Chirinos. They are collectively 19-for-60 in the past week, with three homers, 10 RBIs, and 10 runs.
A win is a win, but last night’s 2-0 borefest victory against the Rangers wasn’t really something to be excited about. It’s also just their fourth win in nine games, and like the Rangers, they are on a path of missing the playoffs.
The Angels will be starting Garrett Richards (0-1, 1.38 ERA), who will only be in his fourth appearance this season. He took a loss on Tuesday, but overall, he’s been quite efficient whenever he’s on the mound. The sixth-year veteran has only given up two runs on two hits and two walks in 13 total innings, while also striking out 23.
The offense, meanwhile, have been getting production from their newest guys – Luis Valbuena, who was signed during the last off-season, and Brandon Phillips, who joined the team just 18 days ago. The former is hitting a fairly decent .278 with three home runs and five RBIs in the last seven days, while the latter has a .316 batting clip and two RBIs in that same span.
Mainstay and two-time American League MVP Mike Trout is 4-for-23 (.235) with one homer and two RBIs in the past week.
