Both clubs still have to get through the first two legs of this set before Sunday's finale means anything, with Los Angeles and Pittsburgh squaring off twice more starting this week. Whatever happens in those games will shape who's available, who's rested and who's fresh by the time Ureña takes the mound — this preview is about the pieces on the board now, not a series that's already been decided.
The Angels have been in freefall for most of the year and it shows: a 53-87 record with the roster gutted by injuries, including season-ending or long-term absences for Anthony Rendon, Robert Stephenson and Yoan Moncada. Kurt Suzuki's club has leaned on late-season reinforcements — infielder Kyren Paris got the call, and Samy Natera Jr. is back off the injured list — but this is a team evaluating auditions more than chasing wins down the stretch.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is running out the clock on its own long-shot playoff hopes — projections have the Pirates' odds sitting in the low single digits — but the roster hasn't stopped trying to make a push. Losing Mitch Keller for the season to a shoulder injury gutted the rotation depth behind Paul Skenes, and top prospect Konnor Griffin, out since July with a finger injury, is working his way back through a rehab assignment that lines up with the start of this series. If he's activated in time, he's a jolt of talent a fading roster could use.