Will Trout’s Angels rebound against Cards?
Every man has his limits. Yes, that even applies to Angels center fielder Mike Trout.
Try as he might, the 2014 American League MVP can’t singlehandedly lift Los Angeles out of its extended funk these days. Tonight, however, presents an equally troubled opponent. The Halos and Cardinals meet in the opener of a three-game set, with a 10:10 p.m. ET first pitch out West.
Oddsmakers lean toward the host squad in this spot. Online sports book Bovada.lv takes Mike Scioscia’s group as a 1.5-run favorite. St. Louis, on the hands, stands as a +117 underdog. The over/under total rests at eight runs.
After a relatively pedestrian start, Trout’s batting .385 with six homers and 19 RBIs over his last 17 contests. The problem is, well, virtually everyone else. The Angels hit .222 and average 3.1 runs at home, and they’ve lost seven of nine. Albert Pujols no longer seems to be a viable source of protection behind Trout, either, given his .190 mark and plummeting on-base percentage (.269).
At least Los Angeles features the crème de la crème in terms of offensive threats, though. Only three Redbirds regulars – Stephen Piscotty, Yadier Molina and Aledmys Diaz – are hitting better than .256, and the club’s 44 home runs take on less luster when one considers the accompanying 261 strikeouts. St. Louis will strive for a better contact rate against Angels starter Hector Santiago (2-1, 3.58 ERA), who’s 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA in his last five interleague assignments.
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Mike Matheny counters with Mike Leake. The veteran righty has yet to capture a victory, yielding four runs on a pair of bombs in Wednesday’s no-decision vs. Philadelphia. While the Halos seem bound to improve on their numbers with men in scoring position (2 for 20 in a weekend sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay), these two outfits haven’t met since mid-2013. There won’t be a rhythm or tempo to the proceedings in the early going, ensuring a fairly low-scoring affair.
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