The Los Angeles Angels close out the three game series against the Texas Rangers tonight. After dropping the first game in 10 innings, the Angels answered with a 3-2 win last night.
The Angels, now 46-74, remain in last place in the American League West.
Rookie George Klassen is projected to make his fourth appearance this season. Klassen was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake last Friday for a start against the Miami Marlins. He finished four innings of one-run ball while striking out three. Klassen’s season ERA sits at 7.27 after he struggled back in early April, however he held a 3.96 ERA through 19 starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Cal Quantrill will take the mound for the Rangers. Quantrill is having his best season since 2022, when he pitched a career-high 186.1 innings with a 3.38 ERA. Quantrill boats a 3.56 ERA thus far this season in 65.2 innings. In two appearances this month, Quantrill has given up one run through seven innings.
Two Angels hitters to look out for in this matchup are Mike Trout and Jose Siri. Trout is 3-for-9 in his career against Quantrill, while Siri is 3-for-4 with two doubles.
First Pick: Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers under 9 runs
Rundown: The Angels evened out the series but continued their streak of games in which they scored four runs or less. The Angels’ offense is very top-heavy and lacks power. Quantrill is a proven veteran who has historically pitched well against the Angels.
Five different Rangers have a slugging percentage over .445 – which is very good. Only Trout and Siri qualify in that range for the Angels. Though they have a lot of power, they don’t score a lot of runs. They’re 16th in on-base slugging percentage (.718) and 24th in runs per game (4.14). Klassen is one of the Angels’ top prospects who seemingly figured out his command issue during his time with the Bees.
Second Pick: Wyatt Langford over 1.5 total bases
Rundown: Langford is 0 for his last 6, however he drew three walks. In four of his last six games, he’s totaled at-least two bases. Whether it be walks, hit by pitches or his .468 slugging percentage – he finds ways to collect bases.