Angels Hope To Feature Strong Pitching Against Cleveland

The Los Angeles Angels will try to get their pitching back on track when they send right-hander George Klassen to the mound against Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of their three-game series in Anaheim. 

Klassen has been a lot of fun to watch lately, especially in his last start against the Houston Astros last week, as he shut out the ‘Stros for seven innings and pitched a one-hitter. He’s slowly figuring it out, and he’s given up just three runs in his last three starts as he continues to show signs of putting it together as a possible frontline starter. 

The key to Klassen’s game is control and composure, as he loses the latter when he struggles with the former. Go back beyond those last three starts and you’ll see a walk total of five apiece against the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners, respectively, although it’s fair to point out that those games happened back in April when Klassen was showing obvious signst that he needed more time in the minors. 

Messick will definitely be a challenge for the Angels lineup, which continues to be a feast or famine proposition. The left-hander has been nails in his last five starts, as he’s given up just seven runs over 31-1/3 innings. But the Guardians are offensively challenged themselves with a sketchy bullpen, so four of those five starts wound up being Cleveland losses. 

The Guardians are contenders, however, if you stretch the definition of “contender” to cover the AL Central. They’re 3.5 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox, even though Cleveland is currently a game under .500 at 65-66. 

The Guardians are also right in the thick of the race for the third wild-card spot, as they’re in a flat-footed tie with the Texas Rangers, with a cluster of four teams within three games as the sorting-out process continues. 

The Angels, meanwhile, have managed to climb out of the AL West basement, but that’s not saying much. They’re currently a game ahead of the Athletics, who occupy the bottom spot, and the big problem right now is the lineup. The Halos simply don’t score enough to win most of the time, although there was that 18-run explosion against Houston last week. 

Look for a low-scoring pitchers duel assuming Klassen can hold up his end, which seems like a solid bet given that the Angels have had one of the lowest ERAs in baseball in August so far.