Los Angeles Angels Probable Pitchers & Starting Lineup vs. Atlanta Braves, August 1

The Los Angeles Angels won a big game last night in Atlanta thanks in large part to newcomers Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron, and Reynaldo Lopez. The Angels have now won two in a row and trail by just 4.5 games in the division and 3.0 games in the Wild Card.

Probable starting pitchers

Patrick Sandoval gets the start tonight for the Angels, as he prepares to pitch on four-days rest. For most pitchers they pitch every fifth day so four days of rest is normal, but Angels pitchers usually get five days of rest between starts thanks to their six-man rotation. Sandoval pitched the second game of Thursday's double-header in Detroit and gutted his way through five, allowing two runs. He didn't look great against a poor offense, but battled his way through trouble and got the win.

The Braves will counter with the electric right-hander Spencer Strider. The 24-year-old was the NL Rookie of the Year runner up (to teammate Michael Harris II), and has followed that up with another strong season. Strider leads the league with an absurd 199 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched and has a 3.73 ERA. Strider isn't exactly at his best right now as he has a 5.40 ERA in his last three starts, but he did pitch 6.1 innings and allow two runs his last time out against Boston. The Halos certainly have a tough challenge ahead of them.

Los Angeles Angels starting lineup

1. Luis Rengifo - 2B
2. Shohei Ohtani - DH
3. C.J. Cron - 1B
4. Mike Moustakas - 3B
5. Hunter Renfroe - RF
6. Mickey Moniak - CF
7. Randal Grichuk - LF
8. Matt Thaiss - C
9. Zach Neto - SS

Atlanta Braves starting lineup

1. Ronald Acuna Jr. - RF
2. Ozzie Albies - 2B
3. Austin Riley - 3B
4. Matt Olson - 1B
5. Sean Murphy - C
6. Marcell Ozuna - DH
7. Kevin Pillar - LF
8. Orlando Arcia - SS
9. Michael Harris II - CF

Which LA Angels player needs to bounce back today?

Mickey Moniak has looked a bit off at the plate recently. He has just one hit in his last 14 at-bats with seven strikeouts after going hitless in his five at-bats last night with four strikeouts. Moniak has been consistently great all year, but has hit his first skid. Hopefully being dropped down to sixth in the order can help revitalize his bat against one of the premier strikeout artists in the game.

Which LA Angels player will be the X-factor in today's game?

Luis Rengifo stayed hot last night by hitting a leadoff home run. He recorded two hits in four at-bats including the long ball while also drawing a walk. Rengifo slashed .315/.398/.671 with six home runs and 12 RBI in the month of July, and finished the month with three straight multi-hit games. He now enters August with a secure roster spot and the chance to make a serious impact hitting in front of Shohei Ohtani in a playoff race.