Page’s Weekly LA Angels Predictions: Week Three

Dear LA Angels fans,

Breathe. It is going to be alright. That was a tough week but April is over soon.

Sincerely, Vincent Page as I begin to prematurely panic.

There is no doubt the LA Angels had a rough second week of the season. They started the week off with an amazing five-run comeback against the Texas Rangers. The Angels then went on to lose five straight games. They had big losses, close losses, and heartbreakers. Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Royals was a tough one, as it led to the Angels being swept for the first time this season.

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However, the season moves on to week three. The Angels sit at 6-7. At one game below .500, they need to stop this losing streak before they bury themselves too deep. They finish their road trip against the Houston Astros in a four-game series before heading home to face the Toronto Blue Jays. Before discussing next week though, we look back at the week two MVP’s for the Angels.

Player of the Week: Mike Trout

It was tough not to give this recognition to Trout in the first week, but he was one of the few bright spots for the Halos offense in week two. He hit .333

with a home run and two doubles. While he did strike out six times, Trout also walked twice and stole two bases. He drove in three runs while boasting a .571 slugging percentage.

In the field, Trout was his usual human highlight reel. In the comeback win against the Texas Rangers, he robbed a Mike Napoli big fly in the tenth inning to maintain the tie which led to an Angels walkoff.

Pitcher of the Week: Bud Norris

Bud Norris was absolutely lights out this week. Norris threw 3.2 innings over two appearances. He allowed only one hit and struck out four batters. He did not walk a single batter.

Norris had his best appearance of the season came when he threw three shutout innings against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. Tyler Skaggs was tattooed and put the Angels in a hole. However, Norris was able to restrict the Rangers offense to one hit on three innings of work. He gave the Angels time to wake up and did not allow the deficit to get any larger. He was the most valuable player that night, and has shown signs of being a key contributor out of the bullpen for the Angels this season.

Monday April 17, Angels @ Astros

Probables: Jesse Chavez vs. Charlie Morton

The Angels kick off their third week of the season trying to end their five-game losing streak. They will face right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton, who is hoping to pick up his first win of the season on Monday. In two starts this season, Morton has thrown two quality starts. He allowed two earned runs on five hits over six innings to start the season. He struck out four while walking two batters and gave up a home run. In his second start he allowed three runs over five innings. He gave up seven hits and another two walks while striking out four (one intentionally). This has given him a 4.09 ERA on the season.

The Angels send Jesse Chavez to the mound in hopes of picking up their first win in a week. In his last start, he allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings. Chavez lacked control and placement of his pitches, resulting in two home runs and two walks. He was solid in his first start, so there is hope for Chavez and the Angels. He has been rather successful against current Astros throughout his career. However, superstar second baseman Jose Altuve owns a career .350 average against Chavez. He could cause problems for the 33-year old.

However, the Angels will be desperate for a win, and could pounce on Morton early.

Prediction: Angels 5 Astros 3

Wednesday April 19, Angels @ Astros

Probables: JC Ramirez vs. Mike Fiers

In the third game of the series, the Astros will be sending out Mike Fiers to contest the Angels offense. He was excellent in his first start of the season. However, he allows five earned runs in his last start. He only gave up six hits, but two of those were home runs. He has been a victim of the long ball throughout his career. Five Angels batters have home runs against him, while both CJ Cron and Albert Pujols have two big flies when facing Fiers. Mike Trout only has three career hits against Fiers (in 12 at-bats) but has also drawn three walks and taking him deep once. His other two hits were both doubles, as well.

In what is supposed to be Garret Richards’ spot of the rotation, the Angels will be sending out JC Ramirez as Richards is still on the disabled list with bicep issues. Ramirez made his first career start Friday night against the Royals. He was rocked for five runs in five innings of work. He struck out three batters while allowing a home run and two walks. Ramirez is undoubtedly better out of the bullpen, but has been dubbed as the sixth starter for the Angels. With arms like Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris in the bullpen, it is a questionable move by Mike Scioscia to have Ramirez start in place of Richards. Hopefully, he fares better in his second start than his first.

The Angels will need Ramirez to throw a quality start to win this one, but could explode for multiple home runs against Fiers.

Prediction: Angels 8 Astros 4

Thursday, April 20 Angels @ Astros

Probables: Matt Shoemaker vs. Dallas Kuechel

In the final game of the series, Houston will send 2015 Cy Young Award Winner Dallas Kuechel to the mound. Coming into the season, many were questioning if Kuechel was a legitimate ace or if he had one standout year and would fall back in to mediocrity after an average 2016. However, he has shut those doubters up this season. He has pitched three games, seven innings in each one, and has allowed only two runs. While both of those came on solo home runs, Kuechel has been lights out this season. He has sent 15 batters down on strikes and walked five.

The Angels will need Mike Trout to step up in this game if they want a chance. He has a career .343 batting average against Kuechel with two solo big flies to go with six walks. Their matchups will be interesting to watch though, as Kuechel has struck out the two-time MVP six times.

The Angels will send out the 2016 Nick Adenhart Award (given to the team’s best pitcher) winner Matt Shoemaker. He has had a shaky start to 2017. He has thrown 14.2 innings over three starts. Shoemaker only gave up two runs in two of those starts, but was removed because of his pitch count. His second start of the season was a disaster, as he gave up seven runs (six earned) on five hits, two walks, and a home run. He has been giving up too many long balls- four in three starts- and will need to keep the ball in play and allow his elite defense to make plays if the Angels plan on winning this game.

However, Kuechel is a man on a mission this season, and the Angels offense could be in for a tough day.

Prediction: Astros 4 Angels 3

Friday, April 21 Angels vs. Blue Jays

Probables: Marco Estrada vs. Tyler Skaggs

The Angels return to the Big A to take on the Blue Jays in a weekend series. They will face Marco Estrada in the first game of the series. Estrada has been exceptional this season, holding a 3.50 ERA after his first three starts. He has thrown 18 innings and given up seven earned runs on 16 hits and six walks. He has also given up three home runs in his first trio of starts. Estrada was seen as a future ace and elite arm when he first entered the bigs. He never quite reached that potential, but has turned into an exceptional starter. As shown by his three home runs given up, he is a victim of the long ball often and has given one up to four different current Angels in his career.

Tyler Skaggs will take the mound for the first time since his phenomenal outing on Sunday. He threw seven shutout innings. He allowed only four hits and two walks while striking out a whopping nine batters. After two shaky starts to start the season, Skaggs entered the game with a 8.71 ERA,. He brought that down to a 5.19 ERA after his outing Sunday. It will nerve-wracking for fans to see which Skaggs shows up, as they will need him to step up and remain healthy this season if they hope to chase the playoffs. He has not made many starts against the Blue Jays, but of the Toronto batters who have at least three at-bats against Skaggs, none of them have a batting average above .200 or a home run.

Prediction: Angels 5 Blue Jays 2

Saturday, April 22 Blue Jays at Angels

Probables: J.A Happ vs. Jesse Chavez

The Angels will be looking to grab hold of their first winning streak in nearly two weeks in the second game of this series. They are supposed to be facing J.A Happ, however, an injury might force Happ to skip this start. Happ is currently listed as day-to-day with elbow discomfort. He is set to undergo an MRI, and the results of that will decide whether or not Happ will pitch. He is 0-3 to start the season, but those three losses do not reflect how well he has been pitching. In three starts, Happ has thrown 16 innings while giving up eight runs. While that does not sound amazing, his 4.50 ERA has kept the team in games, as his first two losses were decided by two runs or less. He had thrown 4.1 innings of shutout baseball on Sunday before being removed because of his elbow.

Happ has been decent against the Angels throughout his career. However, Kole Calhoun has given him problems with a career batting average of .385 against Happ. He has two home runs and a walk to go with that average.

Jesse Chavez will be making his second start of the week against a team he has done rather well against. He has not faced the current Toronto lineup very much in his career, but has found success. Of players with more than two at-bats, only Justin Smoak has a batting average higher than .200. He has hit .273 in his career against Chavez, while also walking once and striking out three times. In seven career at-bats against Chavez, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista only has one hit to his name against the saavy veteran.

The Angels may be able to find their groove in this weekend series.

Prediction: Angels 4 Blue Jays 3

Sunday, April 23 Angels vs. Blue Jays

Probables: Ricky Nolasco vs. Marcus Stroman

In the rubber match of this series, the Blue Jays will send out youngster Marcus Stroman. Stroman has been absolutely sensational this season. In his first start he threw 6.1 innings of one run baseball, allowing six hits while walking two. He picked up his first win of the season. While he did pick up the loss in his second start, he was phenomenal nonetheless. He pitched nine full innings of baseball. Stroman threw eight shutout innings only to give up the sole two runs of the game in the ninth. He allowed seven hits and struck out four while giving only one free base. Of the current Angels who has appearances against Stroman, they have a group batting average of .326 in 43 at-bats. However, only Kole Calhoun has taken Stroman deep in his career. Hopefully that number changes come Sunday.

Ricky Nolasco will get the nod to start in the series finale. The former Twin has a lot of experience against the Blue Jays. In 101 career at-bats current Blue Jays have a .218 batting average against Nolasco. Only Troy Tulowitzki has taken him deep. As a team, they have 22 hits off Nolasco, but they also have a whopping 27 strikeouts. Nolasco has found success against these players in the past, and hopefully he will be able to continue that come Sunday.

We may be set up for a pitching duel on Sunday, with arguably both clubs best starters being slated to face off.

Prediction: Angels 3 Blue Jays 2 in extra innings