When the Angels leave Cleveland on Thursday, one player the Indians won't miss seeing the rest of the regular season is Mike Trout.
Going into tonight's game, Trout is 7 for 17 against the Tribe this year with two home runs and eight RBI. On Tuesday night, Trout was 3 for 5 with two homers and drove in five runs as the Angels cruised to a 9-3 victory and ended the Indians' 10-game home winning streak.
Trout, who has a 12-game hitting streak, has been a terror for any team he has faced. Since May 20 he is batting .410 (34 for 83), which is the top batting average in the Majors for players with a minimum of 75 plate appearances. The Indians' Michael Brantley is third at .371 and Lonnie Chisenhall fifth at .365.
Trout has also had success against Justin Masterson, going 4 for 8 with three RBI. On April 28 in Anaheim, Trout went 2 for 4 with a triple and RBI single.
After seeing their 10-game home winning streak end with a thud Tuesday night, the Indians try to begin another one tonight as their four-game series continues at Progressive Field. They are 3 1/2 games behind Kansas City, who took over the lead in the AL Central after beating Detroit on Tuesday.
We'll be going more in-depth on that and these storylines starting at 6:30 p.m. on Indians Live and during Wednedsday night's game:
Rebound for Masterson? The right-hander (4-5, 5.05) last Friday had the shortest outing of his career uninterrupted by rain or injury last Friday when he went only two innings in a loss to the Red Sox. Masterson gave up five runs, three hits and walked four. His ERA is the highest in the American League for a pitcher that has made 14 or more starts. Masterson is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 10 career starts (13 appearances) against the Angels.
Brantley's status: Michael Brantley was originally in the lineup on Tuesday but was scratched and sent to the Cleveland Clinic for further tests. It took a couple days of tests and evaluation last month before Carlos Santana was placed on the seven-day disabled list due to concussion-related symptoms, so there is a chance that Brantley could end up headed there as well.
WATCH Indians Live tonight for the breakdown on Trout vs. Masterson
Errors will haunt: The Indians lead the Majors by a wide margin in errors with 65. Asdrubal Cabrera has 13 errors, which is the most among American League shortstops.
Trouble against lefties: The Tribe is 8-15 when facing a left-handed starter this season and had their problems against C.J. Wilson (7-6, 3.50) earlier this season. In an April 30 game, Wilson allowed only one run on two hits. In 26 career games (eight starts) against Cleveland, Wilson is 4-2 with three saves and a 2.37 ERA.
Long ball: The Angels hit four home runs on Tuesday and are fifth in the American League with 75.
Angels vs. Masterson: Erick Aybar 3-22; Howie Kendrick 3-16; Josh Hamilton 10-17, 2 HR; Raul Ibanez 3-18; Hank Conger 3-9; Albert Pujols 2-10; Mike Trout 4-8; Kole Calhoun 1-3; David Freese 2-6; Chris iannetta 0-3; John McDonald 1-3.
Indians vs. Wilson: Nick Swisher 12-40, 2 HR; Mike Aviles 6-23; Asdrubal Cabrera 4-22; Michael Bourn 7-20; Ryan Raburn 5-18; Carlos Santana 3-20, HR; Michael Brantley 1-14; Yan Gomes 2-7; Jason Kipnis 1-8; David Murphy 1-4; Lonnie Chisenhall 1-3.
