Astros at Angels
Mike Trout is riding a career-best 17-game hitting streak but faces a pitcher on Saturday with a high chance of halting it. Lance McCullers Jr. has dominated Trout in their head-to-head matchups and attempts to hold the star in check again when the Houston Astros visit the Los Angeles Angels for the middle contest of their three-game series.
Trout is just 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts against McCullers, but the lone hit was a home run. He delivered a run-scoring single during the Angels' four-run ninth-inning rally in Friday's opener before Carlos Correa delivered a tiebreaking single in the 10th to give the Astros a 7-6 victory. Houston received a homer and a season-high four RBIs from Brian McCann in the opener and has won five of its last six games. Houston's Marwin Gonzalez had his streak of homering in consecutive starts stopped at five, falling one shy of the franchise mark set in 2006 by Morgan Ensberg.
TV: 9:07 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 4.08 ERA) vs. Angels RH JC Ramirez (3-2, 4.23)
McCullers matched his season high of 10 strikeouts on Monday but settled for a no-decision against Texas as he allowed two runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old defeated the Angels on April 20, when he struck out eight and gave up only three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless frames. McCullers is 3-1 with a 1.79 ERA in seven career starts against Los Angeles but has not factored in the decision in either of his two prior starts at Angel Stadium.
Ramirez tied his career high of nine strikeouts while beating Texas on Sunday, when he gave up two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He also struck out nine in a loss to the Astros on April 19 in which he allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 frames. The 28-year-old has posted a 6.23 ERA in 12 career appearances (one start) against Houston and has struggled with Evan Gattis (3-for-6, two homers).
WALK-OFFS
1. The Astros own a 20-10 record, matching the best 30-game start in franchise history that was established in 1973.
2. Houston placed Michael Feliz on the family medical emergency list and recalled fellow RHP Dayan Diaz from Triple-A Fresno.
3. Los Angeles optioned Daniel Wright to Triple-A Reno and recalled fellow RHP Keynan Middleton, who allowed one run in one inning on Friday in his major league debut.