Neither club has much to play for beyond pride and reps down the stretch, but that hasn't stopped the total from getting bet down since it opened, a sign the market expects two shorthanded lineups and shaky bullpens to keep the scoring in check.
The Angels have won 2 straight and taken 2 of the first 3 in their series against Boston, a modest but real step up after grinding through a rough summer. Washington, meanwhile, is mired in a 5-game losing streak and has been outscored badly during it, including a lopsided finale against San Diego.
Washington's injury list keeps growing in the wrong spots — losing a catcher to hand surgery and a middle infielder to bereavement leave in the same week is the kind of attrition that makes a last-place club look even thinner. The Angels have their own absences up the middle and in the rotation, but nothing that's kept this current lineup from finding some rhythm against Pittsburgh and Boston.