Los Angeles Angels

Angels face tough task vs. Astros' Keuchel (May 05, 2017)

Published May. 8, 2017 10:49 p.m. ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Answer: Pedro Martinez and Freddy Garcia.

Question: Who are the only two pitchers (with a minimum of 10 decisions) to have a better winning percentage against the Los Angeles Angels than Houston Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel?

Martinez was 9-1 (.900) and Garcia 17-3 (.850). But Keuchel is on their heels at 10-2 (.833), and he'll get a chance to improve on that when he starts for the Astros on Friday in Anaheim.

Keuchel, who already beat the Angels once earlier this season, is pitching well against everybody these days. He was the American League pitcher of the month after going 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA in six starts.

His five wins and 44 2/3 innings pitched were most in the majors in April, and May might not be any different considering the way he feels about how he's throwing the baseball.

"(My) last start was probably the best my slider has felt," Keuchel told MLB.com, referring to a win over Oakland in which he allowed just three hits and struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings. "I had a lot of quality pitches and a lot of bad swings with it. That tells me one thing -- that it's pretty sharp and guys can't differentiate. The fastball and fastball movement right now is probably the best it's ever been."

While Keuchel has had success both against the league and against the Angels, there is one Angel who has hit him well: Mike Trout.

Trout is hitting .368 (14-for-38) with two homers, a .455 on-base percentage and .981 OPS against Keuchel. He had two hits against Keuchel when they matched up April 19 in Houston.

Trout, though, may not be 100 percent for the game. He is expected to play despite a tight hamstring that kept him out of the starting lineup for the first time all season Thursday in Seattle.

Trout had started all 29 games before then, 28 in center field and one at DH. The DH option, however, is not a consideration because of the hamstring issue, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

"When it's a hamstring, it's tough to go up there and get your at-bats," Scioscia told reporters in Seattle Thursday. "Mike plays a demanding defensive position. When the ball goes in the air, he's running somewhere for it. So there's a time when you can soften that load as a preventative tool, like when he DH'd a couple weeks ago.

"But a general rule is that when it's a lower extremity issue, something as sensitive to what a player needs to do to play his whole game, you definitely want to lean toward giving him a day off."

Jesse Chavez will start on the mound for the Angels. Chavez has pitched well against the Astros, but it's been mostly as a reliever. He's 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 22 games, including six starts.