First pitch is 8:38 PM CT from Angel Stadium, and the pitching mismatch on paper is loud. Walbert Ureña has been the Halos' most reliable starter (2.44 ERA, 6 IP / 1 ER his last time out vs. Tampa) and he draws Michael Lorenzen, who's sitting on a 7.22 ERA, a 2-7 record, and a 70-pitch, 3.2-inning outing his last time out against the Giants.
On paper this should be a get-right spot for the Angels, who are 23-39 and have lost 4 of 5. They don't get to face that paper — they get to face whatever the Rockies have turned into the last 48 hours. Colorado scored 9 on Monday and 8 on Tuesday and is suddenly 4-1 in their last 5 despite still being 24-38 on the season. The line agrees the Angels should bounce back (home -145, -1.5 at +140), but the Rockies' bullpen is the one that's actually been getting outs this series.
Tuesday's game was the kind of thing that makes you wonder if the baseball gods have specifically targeted Anaheim. TJ Rumfield hit a flyball to deep right-center, Jo Adell got to it, the ball clipped his glove, hit him in the head, and bounced over the wall for a home run. Willi Castro added a 3-run shot, Hunter Goodman went deep, and Tomoyuki Sugano gave the Rockies 5 innings of 2-run ball. Not a lot you can do as a manager after that one.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrenton Doyle CF — The Rockies announced Friday that Doyle (oblique) has been able to take part in some pool exercises since landing on the 10-day injured list May 21, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMickey Moniak LF — Moniak has been limited to rest and recovery since landing on the 10-day injured list May 22 due to right ankle tendinitis, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Beck LF — Beck (hamstring) was able to begin a running progression this past week, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJimmy Herget RP — Herget (shoulder) was cleared to resume playing catch May 24, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILVictor Vodnik RP — Vodnik (elbow) tossed a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySam Bachman RP — Bachman has been unavailable for the past few days due to an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- Day-To-DayZach Neto SS — Neto (neck) isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (ankle) has started to run, take grounders and has done shuffling drills, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Joyce (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program in Arizona, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.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.
The injury sheet is a horror show on both sides — Kris Bryant still can't do baseball activities, Chase Dollander is shut down for 2-3 more weeks, Zach Neto is out of the lineup with a neck issue, Travis d'Arnaud has no timetable, and Nolan Schanuel is only just starting to run. The Angels are running out a lineup missing their shortstop, first baseman, catcher, and third baseman, and Lorenzen's 7.22 ERA is the guy they have to bail out.
The total sits at 8.5 with the over juiced to -115, which feels generous after games of 17 and 10 combined runs in this series. Take the Angels offense to finally show up against a guy with a sub-replacement ERA, take the Rockies bats to keep doing what they've been doing for two straight nights, and the under has to thread a real needle. The pick here is Colorado getting +1.5 — they've outscored the Angels 17-10 in this series and Lorenzen at least gives them length-by-pitch-count if not by quality.