LA Angels Weekly Predictions: Week Six

The LA Angels past week was marred by a hamstring issue for Mike Trout. With him out of the lineup in half the games, the Angels went 2-4 on the week (1-2 without Trout).

The LA Angels have an easier draw this week. They will travel to Oakland for a three game series before coming home for a four game set against the Detroit Tigers. While they have yet to face the Tigers this season, the Halos are 5-2 against the A’s this year. That includes a three game sweep at The Big A last month.

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Before we dive into next week though, let’s give some recognition to the Angels’ top performers from last week.

Player of the Week: Yunel Escobar

Yunel Escobar was not enjoying a great season up to this week. He was in an abysmal slump, and was looking like he was on the decline. However, he answered the speculation with an amazing week. In six games, he hit .407 with two walks. He scored three times while also tying for the team lead in home runs on the week, thanks to his two-home run performance on Sunday. The Angels offense needs every bit of support it can get, and a strong leadoff hitter definitely helps.

Pitcher of the Week: JC Ramirez

For the second straight week, JC Ramirez was the Angels top dog on the mound. He has continued to impress in his transition from bullpen arm to starting pitcher. In his one start this week, Ramirez went six innings and allowed just one run. He was not his usual strikeout master, only sending two batters down on strikes. He walked two batters, hit another, and gave up eight hits, but did not allow the offense to string hits together, which is what really matters. Ramirez has been the biggest surprise of the season, and one the Angels’ desperately needed.

Monday, April 8 @ Oakland

Probables- Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Gravemen

The LA Angels will start off their week against Kendall Gravemen, who has been going through some difficulties ever since returning from the disabled list. In his two starts since returning, he has a horrid 7.71 ERA. However, in his two outings against the Angels this season, he has down well. He allowed two earned runs over six innings in each start. He has sent 11 Halo batters down on strikes this season.

The good sign for the Angels is that they have six hits in each game against Graveman. They just need to string some hits together against him, which is very possible. The Angels have a .308 career team batting average against Graveman. However, they have only taken him deep three times. Mike Trout is a career .333 hitter against Graveman and is making his return from a hamstring injury. He could very well be the difference maker in this game. Albert Pujols has also dominated Graveman hitting .364 against him with a long ball.

Ricky Nolasco will start the week off for the Halos, barring a last minute substitution. He has been dealing with a calf problem, but plans to make his start. Nolasco owns a 4.68 ERA on the year. This is due to his inability to keep the ball inside the ballpark. In six starts, he has given up nine long balls, only having one outing in which he did not allow a home run. The positive sign for Nolasco is that one start came against the Oakland A’s. He has found a string of success against the A’s this season, with a 3.18 ERA in two starts. However, he has still given up home runs five different Oakland batters in his career.

In five starts, Graveman has allowed four long balls. In six starts, Nolasco has given up nine. The big fly will decide this game.

Prediction- Angels 5, A’s 4

Tuesday, May 9 @ Oakland

Probables- Alex Meyer vs. Jharel Cotton

The LA Angels will face Jharel Cotton in the second game of this series. In his lone start against the Angels this year, he gave up five runs off eight hits in 4.1 innings. However, he has not given up more than three earned runs in a game over his last four starts. The Angels have only have 34 career at-bats against Cotton, but own a collective .294 batting average. However, only CJ Cron has taken him deep and he currently resides on the disabled list.

The Angels will send out youngster Alex Meyer in game two. Meyer has been awful on the season, posting a 9.39 in two spot starts this season. The Angels know Meyer has the capability to be a solid major league pitcher. However, his lanky frame (6’9″ and 225 pounds) causes inconsistency with his delivery and control. He has shown flashes, with his best game coming last season against the Toronto Blue Jays. He threw five shutout innings and only allowed two hits while striking out seven batters. However, this season he faced the Blue Jays (who field a worse offense than last season) and gave up two earned runs over 3.2 innings. He walked four and struck out three batters.

There is a lot of mystery with these two pitchers, but if Meyer can hold the A’s to three runs over five innings, then the Angels can nab this one.

Prediction- Angels 7, A’s 5

Thursday, May 11 vs. Detroit

Probables- JC Ramirez vs. Michael Fulmer

The Angels will be taking on the Detroit Tigers for the first time this season. In this four game series, they will start off against Michael Fulmer. The 2016 American League Rookie of the Year has picked up right where he left off. He has dominated his way to a 2.77 ERA this season. His last start may have been his best of the season, as he went eight innings and allowing two runs (one earned) against the Oakland Athletics. He gave up two walks while striking out nine A’s. He has held current Halo batters to a .194 career batting average against him, and has yet to allow a deep ball to any of them. Mike Trout has been ownded by Fulmer so far, as the two time MVP is 0-5 with four strikeouts.

The Angels will send out their own stud in JC Ramirez. As a starter this season, Ramirez has a 3.45 ERA. In five starts, he has given up two big flies. He has 33 strikeouts to 11 walks, and owns a 3-2 record on the season. He is coming off an excellent start against the high-powered Astros offense, and has explained in the Pitcher of the Week part of this article (6.0 innings, eight hits, one earned run, two strikeouts). Ramirez has been the Angels best pitcher this season, and has been rather consistent as a starter, only giving up more than three earned runs in his first start. Ever since, he has been someone the Angels can rely on to give them five or so innings of good pitching.

The pitching matchup is surprisingly pretty even, and the Angels offense has been more well-rounded as of late.

Prediction- Angels 3, Tigers 2

Friday, May 12 vs. Detroit

Probables- Matt Shoemaker vs. Jordan Zimmermann

The pitching matchup in game two is a total flip from game one. These two pitchers have combined to give up 17 home runs this season. Jordan Zimmermann has been having a dreadful year for the Tigers. He has posted a 6.21 ERA over six starts, yet somehow sits at 3-1 on the season. He allowed three big flies in his last start, and four earned runs total. Albert Pujols is 4-7 against Zimmermann with two home runs in his career. Mike Trout has yet to face Zimmermann, and can hopefully get off to a hot start against him on Friday.

The Angels will send Matt Shoemaker to the mound, hoping for a turnaround. He has been slightly better than Zimmermann on the year, posting a 5.21 ERA on the year. This is usually the time of year in which Shoemaker recovers from his April blues and turns into a quality pitcher, but his two starts in May have not bee great. He has allowed eight runs over his two starts and given up three home runs. Shoemaker has found some success against Detroit in his career though. Detroit batters have a .179 career batting average against Shoemaker, and have yet to take him deep. Hopefully Shoemaker can continue his effectiveness against the Tigers and turn his season around.

Prediction: Angels 7, Detroit 3

Saturday, May 13 vs. Detroit

Probables- Ricky Nolasco vs. Daniel Norris

The Angels will face left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris the third game of this series. Norris has been inconsistent this season, and has a 4.55 ERA on the season. In his last start, he allowed five runs (four earned) over 4.2 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. He has only faced three Angels batters in his career, so he does bring some mystery along with him. Left-handed batters surprisingly have a .320 batting average against him, while right-handed batters are hitting .290. Norris has only given up two long balls on the seasons, so the Angels will have to string some hits together to beat Norris in this matchup.

Ricky Nolasco is set to make his second start of the week on Saturday. He has done slightly better in home outings compared to road starts (4.32 ERA to a 5.06 ERA, respectively). Nolasco has been a disappointment so far this season. While no one expected an ace year from him, he was expected to be a reliable veteran arm. However, he has been the complete opposite.

In his career against Detroit, he has found poor results. He has allowed a .334 batting average to the team, and has allowed two home runs to two players (Justin Upton and Nicholas Castellanos). If the Angels want to contend for a playoff spot, they will need one of the disappointing pitchers to improve over the next month or so.

Prediction- Detroit 5, Angels 4 in extras

Sunday, May 14 vs. Detroit

Probables- Alex Meyer vs. Justin Verlander

The Angels will face off against Justin Verlander in the final meeting between these two teams. While Verlander is no longer his Cy Young/MVP self, he is still a threat anytime he steps on the mound. His 4.21 ERA is inflated due to an outing in which he allowed nine earned runs over four innings. If that outing is erased, his ERA lowers to 2.23. In his career against the Angels, he has found mixed results. He has allowed a collective .181 batting average to Angels batters, but has struggled against a couple of them. Mike Trout is 1-15 against Verlander, with that lone hit come as a big fly while Albert Pujols is 7-21 with a home run as well.

Alex Meyer is the best bet to make Sunday’s start, but if he has a poor outing earlier in the week, someone else could be called upon to make a spot start. Daniel Wright, he threw five innings of shutout baseball in a spot start earlier this season. Yusmeiro Petit could throw four or five innings instead of coming out the bullpen for one day. The Angels have options in terms of starting pitchers, something they have had to utilize the past few seasons.

Next: Angels Could Be Adding Veteran Pitcher to Rotation

Whoever does make the start will be fighting an uphill battle, as facing Verlander is no easy task for any pitcher.

Prediction- Tigers 6, Angels 2