Arizona @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2015 ) Arizona 7, LA Angels 2
Albert Pujols has been inflicting damage on opposing pitchers of late and looks to continue the trend when the Los Angeles Angels host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. Pujols drove in the lone run in Sunday's 8-1 loss to Oakland, giving him 17 RBIs over his last 16 games.
Pujols has belted 10 home runs during the hot stretch, and the RBI against the Athletics was the 1,637th of his career - breaking a tie with Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks for 29th place on the all-time list. He is batting .364 during the 16-game span to increase his season average 41 points to .276. Arizona enters with momentum after a three-game sweep at San Francisco in which it allowed only two runs. The Diamondbacks will host the Angels for two contests beginning Wednesday after the conclusion of the two-game set in Anaheim.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (1-1, 1.53 ERA) vs. Angels RH Jered Weaver (4-6, 4.61)
Ray has been splendid over his first three starts for Arizona, limiting hitters to a .227 average. He lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last turn, when he gave up two runs and four hits over 6 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old Ray posted an 8.16 ERA in 28 2/3 frames in his first tour of major-league duty with Detroit last season.
Weaver has lost back-to-back outings after experiencing a stretch during which he won four straight decisions. He allowed 11 runs and 17 hits over 13 1/3 innings in the two losses and had the same number of walks (three) as strikeouts. Weaver won his lone career start against Arizona, allowing three runs and four hits in six frames during the 2009 season.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Angels lead the all-time series 12-9, but the Diamondbacks have a 5-4 edge at Angel Stadium.
2. Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt reached base four times (two singles, two walks) on Sunday and is 10-for-16 over his last four games.
3. Angels CF Mike Trout has launched six homers over the first two weeks of June after hitting seven in the entire month of May.
PREDICTION: Angels 5, Diamondbacks 3