Astros at Angels
Instead of maintaining their hold on the best record in the American League following a three-game sweep of Seattle to begin a 10-game road trip, the Houston Astros were humiliated by the worst team in their division over the weekend. The Astros will attempt to turn the page beginning Tuesday when they send the last starting pitcher to steer them to a victory to the mound in the opener of a three-game set versus the host Los Angeles Angels.
Justin Verlander and Cameron Maybin - both of whom were acquired on Aug. 31 - teamed up to propel Houston to its sixth and seventh consecutive wins last Tuesday and Wednesday, but the team ran into a buzzsaw once it reached Oakland as the Athletics outscored the AL West leaders 41-15 during a four-game sweep. The slide was enough for the Astros (86-57) to lose their grip on the best record in the AL to red-hot Cleveland, although their lead over the Angels is secure at 13 games with 19 contests remaining. Los Angeles closed to within one game of the second and final wild-card spot in the AL with Sunday's 5-3 win against the Mariners, snapping a three-game skid. Verlander will face former Detroit teammate Justin Upton, who delivered a tiebreaking two-run double Sunday and is batting .294 with five RBIs in nine games with the Angels.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FSN West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (11-8, 3.74 ERA) vs. Angels RH Garrett Richards (0-0, 1.13)
Verlander was victorious in his Astros debut last Tuesday, striking out seven and yielding one run on a solo homer among the six hits he allowed over six innings at Seattle. The six-time All-Star has been exceptional since the Midsummer Classic, going 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA while permitting two earned runs or fewer in nine of those 11 outings. Mike Trout is 2-for-16 with a pair of solo home runs against Verlander, who was tagged for four runs across six frames in a road loss to the Angels on May 14.
Richards made his first start in exactly five months last Tuesday in the same venue he took his previous big-league turn, settling for a no-decision in Oakland after giving up one run on four hits in 3 1/3 frames. The 29-year-old Oklahoma product, who spent most of the season recovering from a biceps strain, tossed two scoreless innings in his only one rehab start with Triple-A Salt Lake before his promotion. Richards is 5-3 with a 3.73 ERA in 12 career appearances (nine starts) against the Astros but hasn't faced Houston since 2015.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Angels posted their 43rd comeback victory of the season Sunday, moving within four of matching the club record.
2. Since July 4, Houston INF Alex Bregman is hitting .330 with 20 doubles, eight homers and 32 RBIs.
3. Los Angeles DH Albert Pujols needs one more homer to break his tie with Jim Thome (612) for sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list.