The American League is up for grabs. Several teams are chasing that final playoff spot with just a handful of games remaining in the regular season. The Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros are two teams up for the spot as they battle it out in one of their final series of the year. The Astros currently hold the playoff spot, but the Angels got the win on Tuesday and have the momentum to make the run.
The Angels were on a two-game losing streak that they broke with a 4-3 win over the Astros, coming within 2 ½ games of the second wild card spot. The Astros hold the place while the Minnesota Twins remain in contention. A win on Wednesday afternoon would be huge for the team in the playoff race. The Astros' loss keeps them two games back from the Texas Rangers who lead the AL West right now.
The Astros will start Mike Fiers on the mound as he is 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA on the season. He has thrived in his last three starts at home, giving up just a total of 10 hits while having a 0.89 ERA. His last seven starts have seen just 11 earned runs given up which secures his spot in the starting lineup and means that he is a good option to put the Angels away in an important game. Fiers has faced Los Angeles just once in his career, giving up three homes runs in seven innings for the win. Mike Trout was one of those home runs as he remains on a hitting streak.
The Angels will go with Nick Tropeano who is making his second career start in Houston. The pitcher is 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA on the year. He has some experience with the Astros after pitching for them in a brief stint last season. He has been doing well since his promotion from Triple-A. The Angels are hoping he can get the win as Jered Weaver and Hector Santiago along with Matt Shoemaker prepare to pitch the next three games. He will have a solid offense behind him with Trout thriving along with Albert Pujols who got a needed home run to break a slump.
