The LA Angels look to continue recent success vs. A’s

The LA Angels will begin their next series against Oakland on Monday night. So far the Angels have gotten the better part of the Athletics. Will they be able to keep their hot streak against the Athletics going?

The LA Angels will go into their next series one game below .500. The last time they faced the Athletics they were able sweep the series. The Angels also lead in the win column against the Athletics this year 5-2. So, going into this series on Monday night the Angels have the upper hand. If they can continue their hot streak against the Athletics then there is a good chance the Angels will be above .500 wins at the series end.

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Angels Three Keys to Success 

1)  The three starters for the Angels in this series need to pull through. Ricky Nolasco has been having problems with his calf cramping up. He is still scheduled to start, so hopefully his calf is ready to go come Monday night. Alex Meyer needs to put together a solid start as his first two with the Angels haven’t been great.

2) The Angels need Mike Trout back and healthy. Trout is the centerpiece to the Angels offense. With the pitching staff seeing so many injuries they cannot afford to lose any of the big offensive contributors.

3) Try to cool down Yonder Alonso. Alonso is having a great year. So far in the month of May, Alonso has four home runs and eight runs batted in. He also had a multi home run game against the Detroit Tigers. The pitching staff needs to be extra careful in keeping the balls in the yard.

The Match-Ups

Monday, May 8th – 7:05 PM PST

Radio: 830 AM   TV: Fox Sports West

Ricky Nolasco (2-2) vs Kendall Graveman (2-2)

Mike Trout may possibly return to the field on Monday night, depending on how he is feeling. Trout has been his normal self against Graveman, batting .333 with one home run and three RBIs in 24 at bats. Albert Pujols has similar numbers at a .364 average with one home run and four RBIs in 22 at bats. Luis Valbuena has done well against Graveman in the past with five hits and two walks in 14 plate appearances.

Tuesday, May 9th – 7:05 PM PST

Radio: 830 AM   TV: Fox Sports West

Alex Meyer (0-1) vs Jharel Cotton (3-3)

The offense hasn’t seen too much of Jharel Cotton. Combined the whole team has twenty nine total plate appearances against Cotton. They have eight hits and five RBIs, and not a single home run. So, lets hope the offense comes alive in this game. Alex Meyer hasn’t lasted longer than five innings yet in his starts. It will be interesting to see if he can put together a longer solid start this game.

Next: LA Angels make series of moves

Wednesday, May 10th – 12:35 PM PST

Radio: 830 AM   TV: Fox Sports West

Jesse Chavez (2-4) vs Andrew Triggs (4-2)

Same as Jharel Cotton, the Angels have not seen much of Andrew Triggs. Triggs is off to a great year though so this is bound to be a tough match up. Mike Trout is the standout against him so far in just six plate appearances. Trout has one walk, two hits, and a solo home run. Andrelton Simmons and Yunel Escobar are the only other two Angels that have more than one hit against Triggs, both with two a piece.