Los Angeles @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 9, 2015 ) LA Angels 8, Tampa Bay 2

Albert Pujols is in the midst of a power surge that ranks among the best of his career with eight home runs over the last 11 contests. The slugger tied Mickey Mantle for 16th place on the all-time list with 536 blasts in the series opener and looks to move past the Hall-of-Famer when his Los Angeles Angels visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday for the middle contest of their three-game set.

Pujols’ 16th homer of the season, along with a double and a single, helped the Angels snap a five-game losing streak with an 8-2 victory Tuesday. Los Angeles' Jered Weaver, who won at Tampa Bay last year, attempts to rebound from a rough outing in New York as he faces surprising four-game winner Erasmo Ramirez. The Rays came into the week with five victories in their last six games but lost for the sixth straight time at home on Tuesday. Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria (wrist) could return to the lineup Wednesday after coming off the bench in the last two contests.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Jered Weaver (4-5, 4.60 ERA) vs. Rays RH Erasmo Ramirez (4-2, 5.10)

Weaver saw his four-game winning streak come to an end last time out against the New York Yankees, permitting seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. The 32-year-old had gone five straight starts without yielding more than three runs after starting the season 0-4 with a 6.29 ERA over his first six turns. Asdrubal Cabrera is 12-for-40 with a pair of homers against Weaver, who stands 5-4 with a 3.71 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Rays.

Ramirez has won four of his last five starts, allowing fewer than two runs three times in that span and nine overall in 28 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old Nicaraguan owned a 25.31 ERA after his first two outings of the season but has limited opponents to 12 earned runs over 42 1/3 frames (2.55) since. Mike Trout is 5-for-13 with a homer versus Ramirez, who is 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA in five appearances (four starts) against the Angels.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tampa Bay OF-DH Joey Butler has recorded 15 hits in 39 at-bats over his last 10 games and knocked in both of the Rays’ runs Tuesday.

2. Los Angeles 3B David Freese has hit safely in a season-high 12 consecutive games, going 15-for-44 during that stretch.

3. The Rays came into the week with an American League-low 25 errors before making a season-high three on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Angels 4