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LA Angels: Five Players Who Need to Step Up This Week vs. TEX/SEA

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 10: Jonathan Lucroy #20 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim congratulates Andrelton Simmons #2, Zack Cozart #7 and Justin Bour #41 on a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 10, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 10: Jonathan Lucroy #20 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim congratulates Andrelton Simmons #2, Zack Cozart #7 and Justin Bour #41 on a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 10, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 11: Catcher Joe Hudson #44 and closing pitcher Ty Buttrey #31 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrate with a high-five after the MLB game at Angel Stadium on September 11, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Ranger 1-0. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 11: Catcher Joe Hudson #44 and closing pitcher Ty Buttrey #31 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrate with a high-five after the MLB game at Angel Stadium on September 11, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Ranger 1-0. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Ty Buttrey

Against the Cubs, Ty Buttrey only pitched 0.1 innings despite having adequate rest and being the LA Angels’ go-to pitcher in high-leverage situations. With so little work over the past half week, it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw 3-4 outings from Buttrey this week.

Buttrey is the best reliever in the Angels’ bullpen, and it isn’t necessarily close. His stats speak for themselves, and he passes the eye test with flying colors. With a solid fastball and devastating movement on his pitches, he has been fooling hitters consistently this season.

This week, especially against Seattle, I expect there to be a lot of late-inning, close games. Those two factors are exactly the types of situations Buttrey is used in and has excelled in. He’ll face a huge test this week in terms of usage and talent he’s facing, and if he passes he could enter that upper-tier of MLB relievers.

Trevor Cahill

Slated to start on Monday (which also puts him in line for Saturday), Trevor Cahill is obviously going to be huge this week. He has been the best starter for the Angels all season, and needs to come away with two exceptional outings this week if the Angels hope to leave their mark.

On Monday he’ll face Shelby Miller, which isn’t the most exciting matchup. Miller’s ERA is north of nine, and his career has continued the downward trend in 2019. However, on Saturday against the Mariners, it looks like he’ll be going up against the aforementioned Yusei Kikuchi, who is the Mariners’ ace as it sits right now. It’ll be an exciting matchup for both fan bases.

Cahill has already started against Mariners once this season, throwing six innings and allowing one run. The Seattle offense has slowed some, so Cahill should have a chance for another exceptional outing and be able to put the Angels is position for a series win.

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