On Thursday, the Houston Astros open the final series of the regular season on the road against the Los Angeles Angels. Houston won its second straight and eighth in its last nine following a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Gerrit Cole struck out 14 and won his 15th straight decision after allowing just two hits in seven innings. Houston’s starting rotation is in fine form entering the postseason.
Los Angeles defeated the Oakland A’s on Tuesday 3-2. The Angels have been eliminated from playoff contention for quite some time, but are playing the role of spoilers by beating the A’s as Oakland battles for a wildcard spot. David Fletcher collected three hits and Albert Pujols had an RBI helping the Angels snap a losing skid of seven straight.
Michael Brantley leads the Astros with a .313 batting average and in hits with 176. Alex Bregman leads in home runs with 40 and in RBIs with 109. Houston has a .276 batting average while opponents are averaging .223. On Thursday, the Astros will send Wade Miley to the mound. The lefthander is 14-6 with an ERA of 3.91, 138 Ks and 59 BBs.
David Fletcher leads the Angels with a .293 batting average and in hits with 169. Injured Mike Trout leads the Angles in home runs with 45 and RBIs with 104. Los Angeles is hitting .249 while opposing hitters are averaging .254. On Thursday, the Angels will send Jamie Barria to the mound. The right-hander is 4-10 with an ERA of 6.43, 71 Ks and 25 BBs.
