The Los Angeles Angels open up their three-game weekend series with an American League road tilt with the Detroit Tigers. It has been nothing but disappointment so far this week with the Angels getting swept at home by the Seattle Mariners.
Meanwhile, the lowly Tigers hung tough and split even on the road against the Cleveland Guardians. We’ll see if they can keep their heads above water when playing host to the Angels on Friday. Patrick Sandoval is slated to start at pitcher for the Halos opposite of Detroit's Matt Manning.
Shohei Ohtani put the Angels on his back in Wednesday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners with four hits, four RBIs, two runs and a homer.
And it wasn’t enough.
The Angels gave up 11 runs on defense, and no one else could come through at the plate when the team needed another helping hand offensively. Fortunately for the Halos, the Tigers aren’t putting up nearly the type of defensive fight the Mariners are capable of in a game. The pitching rotation in Detroit is ranked in the bottom-half of the league with a 4.07 ERA.
So there should be more opportunities for others to join in with Ohtani for another offensive soiree. Oh, and they might not even have to worry about their own pitching rotation imploding. Not only are the Tigers struggling on the mound, but they’re also averaging the least runs per game in the league right now.
As for the pitching, Patrick Sandoval is slated to be the starter with a 3.42 ERA and 3-8 record on the season. He shut out the Mariners in his last road outing. So maybe he’s the right player to pitch confidence into this Angels team.