The Angels head into Fenway Park on Monday with a chance to make life a little tougher for a Red Sox team that has been rolling for the last two months. Boston is in the middle of a push for an American League postseason spot, while the Angels come in at 54-89 after a hard-fought series against the Pirates that included rookie phenom Walbert Ureña drawing plenty of attention.
This is a rare afternoon start made possible by the Labor Day holiday, with first pitch set for 10:35 AM on the West Coast. The game will be available on Angels Broadcast Television, MLB.TV and KLAA AM830.
The matchup brings a familiar name into the spotlight for Anaheim. Grayson Rodriguez will take the ball for the Angels, and the right-hander enters at 4-6 with a 6.03 ERA.
Rodriguez has shown top-end stuff in his first season in Anaheim, but command issues have led to high pitch counts. Even so, he has looked better lately, and the way he closes the year is one of the more interesting storylines for this rebuilding club.
Boston is answering with a different kind of pitching decision. Brayan Bello gets the start for the Red Sox, carrying a 5-7 record and a 5.07 ERA.
Bello spent much of the summer working out of the bullpen after early rotation struggles, and today marks his first traditional start since June. That limited workload could be an issue for Boston, especially if they need length from him.
For the Angels, the offensive assignment is pretty clear. Zach Neto will need to handle Bello’s sinker-heavy approach, while Mike Trout’s eye and low-ball strength fit the matchup well against a pitcher who is expected to work on a strict pitch limit.
Trout has been especially productive against Boston over the years, hitting .290 with a .404 OBP against Red Sox pitching. Last season, he also launched a 454-foot, three-run homer into deep center field there.
He last went deep on August 10, and another homer would be a big lift for Anaheim.
Boston comes in riding a wave of confidence after finishing off a dominant four-game sweep of the Orioles. Still, the Red Sox are leaning on a converted reliever, and that gives the Angels something to attack. Anaheim is not generally a patient team at the plate, but if they can get Bello out early, there are openings to exploit in the middle relief group behind him.
The Angels and Red Sox also bring some history with them, with the rivalry tracing back to the 1986 postseason. On Monday, the Angels would love nothing more than to slow down a hot Boston club and spoil the opener at Fenway.
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