Page’s Weekly LA Angels Predictions: Week Five

Friday, May 5 vs. Houston

Probables: Jesse Chavez vs. Dallas Kuechel

The Angels will head home for a weekend series against the Houston Astros on Friday, and they will not have an easy first game. They will face Cy Young Award winning ace Dallas Kuechel. After a so-so 2016, Kuechel has reassured the world that he is truly an ace. In any Cy Young and MVP conversations this season, Kuechel is sure to be mentioned. Through six starts, he is 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA.

In a start against the Angels earlier this season, he earned the win after throwing seven innings and allowing only one run. If there is a positive sign from that game for Halo fans, it is that the Angels had eight hits against Kuechel. They just were not able to string them together to produce runs. The matchup to watch on Friday evening will be when Mike Trout steps up to the plate. He has a career .368 average against Kuechel, with two solo home runs. He has also walked six times while Kuechel has send him down on strikes 12 times. Albert Pujols is the only other Angel to have taken Kuechel deep, and he has done so twice.

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Taking the mound for the Angels will be Jesse Chavez. Chavez is 2-4 on the season with a 4.50 ERA. He was roughed up for four runs on eight hits over six innings in his last start. However, Chavez did have his best start of the year against the Astros in their first meeting. He threw seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned). He struck out five while walking two.

The only Astros player that has found success with more than five at-bats against Chavez is their superstar Jose Altuve. He has a .318 batting average off Chavez with two doubles and two RBI’s. Chavez, who has given up five long balls this season, has only allowed two home runs to current Astros batters.

The Angels will have to ride their superstars, but if they can score three runs off Kuechel, and Chavez can restrain the Astros offense like he has in the past, they can pull out the win. However, Kuechel has only allowed more than a run in a start once this season. He gave up two runs in a complete game victory last week.

Predicton- Astros 3, Angels 2