Los Angeles @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 13, 2019 ) LA Angels 5, Tampa Bay 3

Shohei Ohtani looks to follow up a historic night with the bat as his Los Angeles Angels go after their fourth straight victory Friday when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays for the second of a four-game set. Ohtani became the first Japanese player to hit for the cycle in major-league history as he went 4-for-4, including a three-run homer, in Thursday’s series-opening 5-3 victory.

Ohtani has launched five homers in his last nine games and is 14-for-32 with 12 RBIs during that stretch for the Angels, who already matched the amount of wins they registered against Tampa Bay last year in the first matchup this year. Andrew Heaney will try to continue the win streak and earn his first victory of the season when he takes the mound for Los Angeles on Friday, while the Rays counter with reigning American League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who threw a season-high 105 pitches to beat Boston on Sunday. Tampa Bay finished its most recent road trip with five wins in the last six games, but has dropped three of four since returning home after leaving eight runners on base in Thursday’s defeat. Tommy Pham had two hits in the latest loss and is 6-for-14 in the last three contests, while Yandy Diaz is 16-for-42 in his past 10 contests for the Rays, who remain one-half game behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH Andrew Heaney (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Rays LH Blake Snell (4-5, 3.50)

Heaney suffered his first loss of 2019 last Friday after starting the season with a pair of no-decisions as the Angels won both of those contests. The 28-year-old Oklahoma State product, who won a career-best nine games last year, gave up five runs on six hits - two homers - over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to Seattle despite striking out 10 for the second straight outing. Daniel Robertson is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Heaney, who was 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in two games against the Rays in 2018.

Snell limited Boston to one run on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts on Sunday to snap a five-game winless streak. The 26-year-old Washington native boasts 98 strikeouts and just 20 walks across 72 innings this year while registering eight quality starts among his 13 trips to the mound. Mike Trout is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and two walks against Snell, who is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in two career starts versus the Angels.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays OF Austin Meadows has one hit in 16 at-bats over the last five games, dropping his batting average to .325.

2. Los Angeles 1B-DH Albert Pujols passed Ted Williams for 18th place in major league history Thursday and needs one for 1,800.

3. Tampa Bay announced it will activate INF Joey Wendle (wrist) for Friday's game and option RHP Hunter Wood to Triple-A Durham.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Angels 2