Cleveland took game 1 of this three-game set 7-2 on Monday, scratching out 7 hits and drawing 10 walks. The Angels, who are 16-26 and bleeding pitching depth, now turn to Walbert Ureña to try to steal one before this series gets out of hand.
Ureña is the story for LA. The 22-year-old rookie has been the rare bright spot in the Angels rotation — a 3.22 ERA across 22.1 innings, 8 strikeouts in his first career start against the Padres, and a 6-inning, 1-run gem against the White Sox his last time out. Given the names sitting on the IL behind him, the Halos kind of need him to be real.
Slade Cecconi sits at 6.15 on the season, but he's actually trending up — back-to-back wins, and he's been very public about getting his curveball back to last year's form. The catch: in 2 career starts against the Angels, he owns a 14.73 ERA. Small sample, but ugly enough to flag.
- 10-Day-ILLogan O'Hoppe C — O'Hoppe (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — The Angels placed d'Arnaud on the 10-day injured list Friday with right foot plantar fasciitis.
- 15-Day-ILGrayson Rodriguez SP — Rodriguez (shoulder) tossed 4.2 innings in a rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters.
- 15-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Joyce (shoulder) is slated to make a fifth rehab appearance Sunday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Johnson SP — Johnson (hamstring) completed five innings in a rehab outing with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out five batters.
- 15-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 weeks, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayCarlos Hernandez RP — Hernandez (shoulder) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
- 10-Day-ILGabriel Arias SS — no
- 15-Day-ILShawn Armstrong RP — Armstrong (groin) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Akron, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAndrew Walters RP — Walters (lat) was returned from his rehab assignment due to a viral illness, MLB.com reports.
The Angels injury list is a horror show. Yusei Kikuchi shut down for 3-to-4 weeks, Grayson Rodriguez and Ryan Johnson still on rehab assignments, Robert Stephenson out for the year after elbow surgery, plus Logan O'Hoppe, Travis d'Arnaud, Anthony Rendon and Ben Joyce. That's a rotation, a back-end arm, both catchers, and a third baseman — all on the shelf at once.
Cleveland is the public side here and it's not particularly close — 72% of the moneyline tickets and 77% of the spread handle are on the Guardians, who open as a -135 home favorite. Pinnacle has the total at 8.5; DK is sitting on 7.5, which is the kind of split that tells you the market isn't sure how to price a rookie with a 3.22 ERA against a guy who's been getting tattooed by this exact lineup.
The bet here isn't sexy: if Ureña keeps trending the way he has, the Angels actually have a path. If he pitches like a 22-year-old facing a team that just walked 10 times, this is over by the 5th. First-pitch is 5:10 PM local.