Angels to play host to West Division leaders in five-game homestand

The Los Angeles Angels will begin a five-game homestand at Angel Stadium Tuesday evening against the American League West-leading Houston Astros following a road trip where they lost eight of nine games.

Noah Syndergaard (5-7) is set to start for the Angels while fellow right-hander Luis Garcia (7-5) is scheduled to start for Houston.

Syndergaard was charged with the loss in his last start, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings, striking out eight with no walks in a 2-1 loss to the Miami Marlins last Tuesday. This will be Syndergaard’s second appearance against the Astros. He pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Houston on April 9, allowing two hits while walking two batters and striking out one, and was credited with the win in a 2-0 victory.

Garcia has won four consecutive starts after losing four of his previous five and having a no-decision in the fifth. He allowed five runs on eight hits, struck out seven, and walked one in 6 1/3 innings in his most recent start, a 9-7 victory over Kansas City last Tuesday.

Garcia faced the Angels once this season, allowing three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one, and was credited with the victory in an 8-3 win at Houston on April 18.

Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to pitch for the Angels on Wednesday.

The Angels are 3-7 against the Astros in 2022, including being swept in a three-game series July 1-3 at Houston where they were outscored 21-4 and struck out 48 times, the most in a three-game series without the benefit of extra innings, according to the sports technology firm STATS. Their 20 strikeouts in a 4-2 loss July 3 tied the nine-inning major league record.

The Angels (38-49) are fourth in the five-team AL West and trail Houston by 19 games. They were one game behind the Astros on May 24 before beginning a franchise-record 14-game losing streak that prompted the firing of manager Joe Maddon 12 games into the streak.

Following three games against Houston, the Angels will face the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and Saturday to complete the four-game Freeway Series for 2022. The Angels lost both games at Dodger Stadium earlier.

The games Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will begin at 6:38 p.m. Thursday’s game will begin at 5:07 p.m., and Saturday’s at 7:07 p.m. All games will be televised by Bally Sports West.

Thursday’s earlier start is to accommodate the Astros, who have to fly to Houston to begin a three-game series against Oakland on Friday.

The first 25,000 fans in attendance Thursday will receive an Ohtani MVP shirt. The Angels will wear their City Connect jerseys Friday. The customary fireworks show will follow Saturday’s game.

The Angels will then have their lone Sunday off day of the season because of a scheduling quirk related to interleague play.

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