The Angels look to improve on their recent road struggles as they continue to battle Houston for the top spot in the AL West. It won’t be easy facing the American League’s best team. The Royals own the best record in the junior circuit and are the most profitable team in the AL thanks to a stellar home record.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Angels finish off a seven-game road trip that started with a three-game sweep at Chicago. The White Sox are next up on the Halos’ schedule in a rematch starting Monday, but LA must first deal with the Royals. The Angels ended a seven-game losing streak to KC by capturing the first game of the four-game set and have had trouble handling the youthful Royals. The Angels are 6-3 in Hector Santiago’s last nine starts and have cashed the under in each of his last two. That’s good news for the little lefty, who owns a 0.63 ERA in his career at Kauffman Stadium.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Hector Santiago (7-6, 2.87 ERA) has struggled to maintain his dominant early season form, allowing three or more runs for the fourth consecutive game when he was charged with three earned in 5.1 innings in a loss Tuesday against the White Sox. His winless streak reached four games but he still owns a pristine 2.87 ERA. Santiago has had trouble lasting late into games as of late as well, unable to work longer than six innings since July 10.
Santiago has allowed just one run over 14.1 innings in five career appearances – two starts – at Kauffman Stadium, taking a 0.63 ERA and 0.70 WHIP into Sunday’s start.
Yordano Ventura (7-7, 4.97 ERA) is coming off a rather interesting start against the Tigers on Tuesday in which he threw six shutout innings but tied a career-high with six walks and a season-high with eight strikeouts. It was a strong performance and much needed from the young righty, who struggled in his previous two outings giving up 11 runs in 12 innings.
Ventura faced the Angels in the opening week of the season lasting 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts to pick up a 9-2 win.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“He was aggressively into the game. You could tell by his body language. He was the old Ventura of last year – he had all the confidence that, ‘Hey you can get a couple guys on but that’s as far as it’s going to go.” – Royals manager Ned Yost after Yordano Ventura tossed six scoreless innings with six walks in his last outing.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
On a team with two superstars in its lineup, outfielder Kole Calhoun is often an afterthought when it comes to the Angels’ success. But on a team in the postseason hunt, he may be having the biggest impact. Calhoun has a unique skill set that few possess. He has the ability to hit for power and is either second or third in most major offensive categories. Near the top of the lineup he brings the ability to get on base and the speed to make plays happen. He’s made just three errors in right field and more than a handful of highlight worthy plays. Calhoun had his best offensive month in July and he continues to heat up in August with three home runs. This doesn’t bode well for American League managers, who might be the only ones outside of the Angels who understand his impact.
PROP TALK
Mike Trout always seem to come up large on the big stage and the Angels star will take the center of it on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Trout continues to sport impressive numbers with a .300 average and 33 homers and has enjoyed Royals pitching over his career. He’s hitting a nifty .381 with seven homers in 84 career at-bats against them and is a lifetime .500 hitter against Yordano Ventura. He doesn’t have an extra-base hit off the Royals flame-thrower, but there’s another item to check off his list.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Angels starter Hector Santiago has been outstanding all season. He hit a bit of a rough spell lately, probably because he’s on track to surpass his innings total from any other season in the big leagues. The coaching staff is monitoring his pitch count but it’s not like the guy is getting raked all over the yard. He’s still been solid and he owns the Royals, posting impressive numbers like a 1.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .179 opponent’s batting average in 35.1 career innings against them. The Angels will get some offense against the inconsistent Yordano Ventura and get the win.
Los Angeles 6, Kansas City 3
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