Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
HOU	0	1	1	0	0	3	1	0	1	7	11	0
LAA	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	9	2

Wesneski (0-0, 0.00) gets the ball for Houston in his first big-league start since Tommy John surgery, going up against an Angels rotation that's been searching for answers all year. Grayson Rodriguez (3-3, 8.54) draws the assignment for Los Angeles at Angel Stadium, first pitch set for 6:38 PM PT.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Astros(54-55)

WWLWW

7

-1.5+127-125o9.5+106

Angels(42-66)

LLWLL

4

+1.5-122+122u9.5-105

Best BetAstros -135

Pregame

Houston's priced as the moneyline favorite here and it's not close to a coin flip — the Astros have won 4 of 5 and just took both games of this series already. The Angels have lost 4 of their last 5 and are trotting out a starter with an ERA over 8, so the price reflects a real talent gap, not just recent noise.

Rodriguez was supposed to be part of the fix when the Angels flipped Taylor Ward for him last winter, but it hasn't come together. He's been late to the mound this year thanks to shoulder inflammation, and once he got going the results didn't follow — he's walking hitters at a high clip and getting hit hard when he leaves pitches over the plate. His last time out against the Giants, he was out of the game after 4 innings having already allowed 5 earned runs.

Hayden Wesneski

(2-0)·3.86 ERA

07/29 Lineup

Grayson Rodriguez

(3-5)·7.20 ERA

Jul 24 @ Giants

ND

4.0IP

5ER

3K

2BB

80P

07/29 Lineup

Houston, meanwhile, is playing with some momentum. They've won 4 of their last 5, including both games so far in this series against the Angels, and they're doing it despite a rotation that's basically been running on fumes with Arrighetti and Burrows both hurt. That's exactly why Wesneski is being thrown into the fire — Dana Brown's front office needed innings, and the righty's rehab starts were sharp enough to earn the call.

Houston Astros

(6)

• 10-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — The Astros announced that Matthews was removed from Sunday's game against the Rangers after the first inning due to a left knee injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILSpencer Arrighetti (SP) — Arrighetti (foot) received an injection Monday and could be cleared to start a throwing program within the next few days, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/27
• 15-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — General manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Burrows (elbow) is expected to begin throwing off a mound within the next 7-to-10 days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.07/15
• 60-Day-ILHayden Wesneski (SP) — Wesneski (elbow) will return from the injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Angels, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.07/28
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.06/04
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.06/02

Los Angeles Angels

(9)

• 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier (2B) — Frazier (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.07/20
• 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero (C) — Rivero (hand) has been catching at the Angels' spring complex in Arizona, MLB.com reports.07/12
• 60-Day-ILYoan Moncada (3B) — Moncada (knee) has been rehabbing at his home and hasn't started baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi (SP) — Kikuchi (shoulder) is expected to throw another live session this weekend, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.07/22
• 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud (C) — D'Arnaud (foot) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.07/17
• 60-Day-ILBen Joyce (RP) — Joyce (shoulder) averaged 100.2 mph with his fastball in a one-inning rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League on Thursday, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz (SP) — Kochanowicz's Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was deemed "successful," per MLB.com.06/27
• 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson (RP) — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon (3B) — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

The rest of the Astros' injury list is a reminder of how thin this roster has gotten — Carlos Correa is out for the year after ankle surgery, and Brice Matthews is on the shelf too, so Houston's been piecing things together in the field as well as on the mound. The Angels have their own long list, with Yoan Moncada, Yusei Kikuchi and Travis d'Arnaud all still a ways from returning, and this roster has felt the absences all season long.

Houston Astros

(54-55)

Jul 29W@ Angels3-2

Jul 28W@ Angels6-4

Jul 26L@ White Sox3-12

Jul 25W@ White Sox4-1

Jul 24W@ White Sox9-5

Los Angeles Angels

(42-66)

Jul 29Lvs Astros2-3

Jul 28Lvs Astros4-6

Jul 26W@ Giants4-3

Jul 25L@ Giants2-9

Jul 25L@ Giants6-7

Los Angeles has dropped 4 of its last 5, and the only win in that stretch came against a Giants team that had already taken the first two of that series. There's not much reason for optimism in Anaheim right now beyond hoping a fresh arm like Wesneski hits a speed bump in his first start back. For Houston, it's about stacking innings from anyone healthy and not letting a sub-.500 record slip any further out of the wild-card picture.

If Wesneski looks anything like he did in his rehab starts — missing bats, throwing strikes — this series sweep is very much in play. If not, this Angels lineup has shown it can scrape together enough offense to make a shaky start painful.