The Los Angeles Angels are leaning on their pitching again tonight, and that has been the one thing keeping them afloat. They open a three-game series in Anaheim against the Cleveland Guardians with right-hander George Klassen set to face Parker Messick.
Klassen has been trending in the right direction. His last outing against the Houston Astros was his best recent work, a seven-inning shutout in which he allowed just one hit. Over his last three starts, he has given up only three runs, a stretch that has him looking more and more like a pitcher who may be putting things together as a possible frontline starter.
For Klassen, the formula is simple: stay in control and stay composed. When one slips, the other usually follows. Before this recent run, he issued five walks against both the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners, though those outings came back in April, when it was already clear he needed more time in the minors.
Messick brings a tough challenge for an Angels offense that has been wildly inconsistent. The left-hander has been sharp in his last five starts, allowing seven runs across 31-1/3 innings. Even so, Cleveland has only won one of those five games, a reflection of the Guardians’ own offensive issues and shaky bullpen.
Cleveland enters the night with plenty still in play. The Guardians are 3.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, despite sitting a game under .500 at 65-66. They’re also tied with the Texas Rangers for the third wild-card spot, with four teams packed within three games as the race tightens.
The Angels have climbed out of the AL West basement, but only barely. They’re a game ahead of the Athletics, and the bigger issue remains the same: the lineup just doesn’t produce enough. Aside from last week’s 18-run outburst against Houston, the offense has left too much on the table.
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Rada also leads the Pacific Coast League in steals, and his .281 average with a .378 on-base percentage gives the production some substance to back up the tools. For the Angels, the appeal is obvious because players who can run, defend and get on base tend to create value quickly, even before the bat fully matures. The question now is less about whether he belongs on the radar and more about how long the club can keep watching before the next move becomes hard to avoid. [Read more 🡒]