Houston @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Last Meeting ( May 10, 2015 ) Houston 1, LA Angels 3
George Springer has been tearing the cover off the baseball of late and looks to extend his hitting streak to 15 games when the Houston Astros open a three-game series against the host Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Springer homered among three hits in Sunday's 6-2 victory over Seattle and is 27-for-59 during his tear.
Springer was hitting just .228 before erupting with the bat and has raised his average to .284. The right fielder has 12 homers on the season, with four coming over his last seven games. Los Angeles' Albert Pujols is even hotter as he hit his 13th homer of the month - tying Tim Salmon's club mark for June - to raise his American League-leading total to 21 in Sunday's 3-2 loss to Oakland. Pujols has collected 21 RBIs in June after totaling just 23 over the first two months of the season.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Brett Oberholtzer (2-1, 2.73 ERA) vs. Angels LH Hector Santiago (4-4, 2.77)
Oberholtzer has won consecutive starts for his first two victories of the season. He scattered three hits over eight scoreless innings against Seattle on June 12 and defeated Colorado on Wednesday as he gave up three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 frames. Oberholtzer is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in four career starts versus the Angels.
Santiago is winless in his last four outings, losing to Arizona in his last turn as he yielded three runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He has served up 12 homers in 81 1/3 innings after allowing 15 in 127 1/3 frames last season. Santiago is 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against Houston but was strong in a no-decision on May 7, when he allowed just one hit over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Angels RF Kole Calhoun was 4-for-10 in the three-game series against Oakland after enduring a 2-for-20 slump over his previous five contests.
2. Houston 2B Jose Altuve (hamstring) has missed four straight games but is probable for Monday's series opener.
3. Los Angeles placed struggling RHP Jered Weaver (hip) on the disabled list Sunday.
PREDICTION: Angels 7, Astros 5