The Houston Astros opened a six-game road trip Monday against the Los Angeles Angels, with Spencer Arrighetti taking the ball in the series opener as Houston tried to keep pace in the American League West.
The game drew interest because of the matchup on the mound and the standings behind it. Arrighetti entered at 7-1 with a 1.94 ERA, while Grayson Rodriguez started for the Angels at 2-2 with a 9.50 ERA. Houston was 4.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for first place after taking two out of three at home over the weekend against the Athletics, so a strong start to the trip carried real weight for a club trying to climb back in the division.
Fans could follow the game on radio through KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2 and KLTN-TUDN 102.9 FM. The road trip ends against the Kansas City Royals, another team sitting at the bottom of its division and tied with the Detroit Tigers, which gives Houston a stretch of games against clubs it can pressure while it tries to make up ground.
Arrighetti’s season had been a bright spot for the Astros, but he came in off a rare stumble. On June 3, he gave up four runs on six hits in four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez had also been knocked around in his previous outing, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits in 3.2 innings against the Colorado Rockies. That made Monday less about reputation and more about which starter could settle in first.
The Angels also had some fresh uncertainty around them after right fielder Jo Adell was hit in the head by a ball in a play that led to a scoring change in their previous game, when TJ Rumfield’s initial home run was later ruled a four-base error. For Houston, the immediate challenge was simpler: get through the opener, keep the trip moving, and leave Anaheim with a chance to turn a six-game swing into real standings movement. The next test after the Angels comes against the Royals, and the Astros know they do not have much room to waste.
