Shane McClanahan (6-3, 2.85) gets the ball for the Rays opposite Sam Aldegheri (1-1, 2.25), the Italian lefty who only got back into the Angels rotation after Jack Kochanowicz went down for Tommy John surgery last week. First pitch is 6:38 PM PT at the Big A.
The Rays are 40-25 and playing the best version of themselves. They dropped 2 in Miami, then came home and steamrolled the Red Sox 3 straight, scoring 14 runs across the last 2. Junior Caminero is still the engine — the 22-year-old finished 9th in AL MVP voting last year and hasn't slowed down. The Angels, meanwhile, are 27-42 but just took 2 of 3 from the Astros, including a 10-1 laugher on Tuesday and a 3-2 grinder Wednesday.
There's a side story here: Josh Lowe is now an Angel after the December trade that sent him west. He'll be in the box against his old club, against the lefty who used to be his rotation-mate. Mike Trout finally snapped an 0-for-22 with a single in the Houston series, which is the kind of thing that can flip a week for an Angels offense that's been waiting on him.
McClanahan's last outing was his worst stretch in a while — 5 innings, 8 hits, 4 earned runs to the Marlins. Before that he ran a scoreless streak past 20 innings. The Marlins start looked more like an outlier than a trend, but the Angels did rough him up earlier in the year, so he's not getting a free pass through this lineup.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonny DeLuca RF — DeLuca (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILCraig Kimbrel RP — Kimbrel (wrist) will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens RP — Scholtens was charged with a blown save and dropped to 5-3 on the season in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Orioles in 13 innings after yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits across 1.1 frames. He struck out one batter.
- 60-Day-ILGavin Lux LF — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to take live batting practice against teammate Craig Kimbrel (wrist) on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley RP — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.
- Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (calf) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Houston, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero C — Rivero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with an apparent left hand injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier 2B — Frazier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
- 10-Day-ILVaughn Grissom 2B — The Angels placed Grissom on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left oblique strain.
- 10-Day-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Soler DH — The Angels placed Soler (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Saturday (retroactive to June 4).
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Joyce (shoulder) has been throwing at the Angels' facility in Arizona but has yet to resume mound work, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz SP — Kochanowicz (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.
The injury sheets tell the story of why this line is what it is. The Angels are without Jorge Soler, Anthony Rendon, Yoan Moncada, Travis d'Arnaud, Yusei Kikuchi and now Kochanowicz. Nolan Schanuel is day-to-day with a calf. Tampa's hurting too — Jake Fraley is gone 6-to-8 weeks post-hernia surgery, Ryan Pepiot is out for the year, and Gavin Lux is still working back from a shoulder — but they've got the depth to absorb it. The Angels are running out spare parts.
Aldegheri has only 4 innings of MLB work this season and his last start was back on May 5 against the White Sox — 4 innings, 2 earned, 0 strikeouts on 69 pitches. He's a fresh look the Rays haven't seen much of, which is the one real edge the Angels have tonight. Beyond that, this is a contender on a roll versus a depleted .391 team at home. The market is treating it accordingly.