Two teams out of the playoff race will finish off their three-game series on Thursday afternoon as the Los Angeles Angels get set to battle the Texas Rangers in Arlington. The Angels and Rangers are jockeying for third and fourth place in the AL West Division as the season winds down. On the mound on Thursday will be righty Michael Lorenzen (7-6, 4.76) of the Angels taking on veteran lefty Martin Perez (12-6, 2.84) of the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05pm EST.
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With under two weeks to go in the season, the future certainly seems up in the air for the Angels' franchise. Rumors are swirling over superstar pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani and his willingness to stay with a team that has struggled to win since he came to the States from Japan. Ohtani would certainly net the Angels a big haul in a trade and might afford the team the ability to add pieces around their other superstar, Mike Trout. The other option would be to try and run it back and add a few more pieces this offseason to see if the Angels can finally put together a playoff season. On Wednesday night, in game two of this series with the Rangers, the Angels pitching faltered in the 7th and 8th innings and they fell 7-2 to the Rangers.
Sunday showers ??#GoHalos pic.twitter.com/GlFIhalze6
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 18, 2022
One of the reasons for the Angels difficulties this season has been the team's inability to stay healthy. Trout has missed chunks of time due to injury and the team lost former all-star third baseman Anthony Rendon to season-ending wrist surgery in May, or so they thought. Rendon has recently taken batting practice an is hopeful to return before the season is out. Rendon's presence behind Trout and Ohtani was severely missed throughout the summer. On the mound on Thursday afternoon will be righty Mike Lorenzen. Lorenzen has been hit hard in recent games, with an 8.31 ERA in his last five starts and a 1-2 record. He has yet to face the Rangers this season.