Angels and Astros the series to watch this week
By Mike Dyce
A look at the MLB series to watch from Sports Illustrated’s Watchability Rankings.
It is a big week for Major League Baseball as teams are trying to work out last minute deals before the non-waiver trade deadline to gear up for a post season run. With just two months left in the season, it is time to start getting into position for a run at playoff baseball.
Our partners at Sports Illustrated and ScoreBig highlight the match ups to watch every week in their “Watchability Rankings.” This week, the match up to watch is midweek series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels.
This is a battle for supremacy in the American League West division. The teams have nearly identical records, both with 55 wins and one game separating them in the standings. The winner of this series could take the lead in the division into August and the final two months of the regular season.
The timing of the series benefits the Angels, who will miss Astros ace Dallas Keuchel because he pitched on Saturday. The player to watch in this series might be Mike Trout, who is hot as of late. In the last seven days he has nine hits in 20 at-bats, an average of .450, not to mention two walks. He also has three home runs, a double, seven RBIs and four runs.
Trout however, has not played that well against the Astros all season long. He has a .222 average against Houston, with just eight hits in 36 at-bats.
Other series to watch this week include:
- Tigers vs. Rays
- Pirates vs. Twins
- Nationals vs. Mets
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