Major League Baseball

Angels-Rockies Preview

Published Jul. 8, 2015 1:51 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The Los Angeles Angels don't play often at Coors Field, but they certainly know how to take advantage of the hitter-friendly ballpark.

The Angels are the AL's most prolific scoring team in Denver and look to put up more big numbers there Wednesday night and sweep a two-game set from the Colorado Rockies.

Los Angeles (45-38) is averaging 8.0 runs in going 10-2 all-time in Denver with 30 homers, also an AL best. The Angels have a 1.019 OPS at Coors Field, where they scored at least 10 runs for the fifth time in six games in Tuesday's 10-2 rout.

Albert Pujols and Mike Trout hit two of the Angels' four home runs in the club's seventh straight win in Denver and eighth in a row over the Rockies, who were swept in two games in Anaheim from May 12-13. Los Angeles did all of its scoring in the first three innings in its fourth straight win and eighth in nine games.

The Angels are hitting .372 with eight homers, 12 doubles and 43 runs scored over their last four games.

''It's been unbelievable,'' Trout said. ''The first month or two of the season we were scratching wins off and now the offense is coming together and we're pitching well. It's fun to be a part of."

Pujols has seven RBIs over his last three games with homers in consecutive contests. He hit his 54th career interleague blast, tying him with Alex Rodriguez for fourth place and moving one within Ken Griffey Jr. for third.

Matt Joyce and Chris Iannetta also went deep for the Angels, who have won four straight on the road.

''When a team starts swinging the bat well it carries over to other people," Joyce said. "You can tell everybody in our lineup has confidence and seems to be relaxed.''

The Angels scored 10 runs off a starter for the second straight game, with Colorado's Chad Bettis the latest victim. The Rockies' 5.11 ERA by their rotation is baseball's second-worst.

''It makes it tougher when you're playing from behind in all aspects of the game,'' manager Walt Weiss said. "Starting pitching tends to set the tone.''

Colorado (35-48) will turn next to Chris Rusin (3-3, 4.27 ERA), who is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two home starts. The left-hander has never faced the Angels, with David Freese the only hitter on the team he has seen.

Rusin surrendered three runs - one earned - in six innings in Thursday's 8-1 loss at Arizona. Opponents are batting .350 against him in his last five starts.

His counterpart on the mound is Matt Shoemaker (4-7, 4.91), who is 2-2 with a 1.67 ERA in five career interleague starts entering his first against Colorado. The only Rockies hitter he has faced is Nick Hundley, who is 0 for 2 against him.

Shoemaker fell to 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA in his last four starts after giving up two runs in 5 2-3 innings in last Wednesday's 3-1 defeat to the New York Yankees.

Troy Tulowitzki is batting .365 in a career-high 19-game hitting streak and has reached base in a career-best 34 straight games.

The Rockies have dropped 21 of their last 24 interleague games, going 1-9 in 2015.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball