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LA Angels Series Preview: Chasing the Rays for the Wild Card

Ryan Falla|
Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim speaks to Wilson Ramos #40 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the American League All-Stars workout during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day. Ramos could have been a nice piece to add to the Angels line-up (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim speaks to Wilson Ramos #40 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the American League All-Stars workout during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day. Ramos could have been a nice piece to add to the Angels line-up (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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The LA Angels are facing the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that is tied for both the wild-card and the AL East with the New York Yankees. The Angels are fresh off a sweep of So Cal rival the Dodgers.

Now would be the perfect time for the LA Angels to do those Yankees a favor and destabilize the AL East/Wild Card chase with a nice little sweep of the Rays. After all, the Angels did just beat the Dodgers who happen to be one of the more complete teams in the MLB. If they can accomplish that then they really can accomplish anything. Right?

Don’t get too excited with this team. There’s been something in them all season that has kept them from really making that leap into full-time competitive mode. Even though the starting pitching isn’t the best the Angels have still dropped way too many games that the starting pitching kept them in at least semi-control. It was great to see the Angels clicking on all cylinders against the Dodgers, but will they really be able to keep it up going into a series that actually matters to the Angels?

It’s not that the series against the Dodgers didn’t matter, but a two-game series against the other LA team comes off as more exhibition-y than anything, even if it does count in the standings. Now the Angels are going to be faced with dire consequences if they cannot handle this series against the Rays. They are a direct competitor for the wild-card spot and anything less than a series win will knock the Angels a bit further out of contention going into the second half.

We don’t want to see the Angels heading into the All-Star break 7 games back from the wild-card spot. There’s only one way to prevent that and that is to take this series by storm. They did it to the Dodgers, so why not the Tampa Bay Rays?

Angels @ Rays

(6/12) 4:10 PM PT @ FS-W: Tyler Skaggs (4-6, 4.97 ERA) vs TBD

(6/13) 4:10 PM PT @ FS-W: Andrew Heaney (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs TBD

(6/14) 10:10 PM PT @ FS-W: Jose Suarez (1-1, 4.35 ERA) vs TBD

(6/15) 10:10 PM PT @ FS-W: Griffin Canning (2-2, 3.65 ERA) vs TBD

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