Astros vs Angels Preview: Fresh Arms, Big Stakes

The Astros are down but not out! Yesterday's game came down to the wire. Houston trailed 4-3 heading into the tenth inning, but Peña scored on a wild play to snatch a 5-4 victory. Walker and Wade Jr. both delivered key doubles to keep the Astros alive. Now Houston's pitching staff takes center stage. Kai-Wei Teng gets the ball Wednesday. The Astros are 30-37 overall but just grabbed momentum. With their closer Josh Hader ready to lock things down in tight moments, Houston smells blood in the water against Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is hungry to bounce back! The Angels got strong contributions from their bottom of the lineup yesterday. O'Hoppe's double in the second drove in two runs and kept the game close. Neto also launched a homer over the left-center wall that cut Houston's lead to one run. But the Astros had the last laugh. The Angels sit at 25-41 this season, fighting hard to find their rhythm. Walbert Urena starts for the home team Wednesday. Los Angeles needs its hitters to come through again and help Urena get the win.

Wednesday's showdown features Kai-Wei Teng versus Walbert Urena. Both pitchers are stepping up for their teams after recent rotations have been hit hard by injuries. The Astros lost Framber Valdez to free agency and Hunter Brown is recovering from shoulder trouble. The Angels are missing Yusei Kikuchi and hoping Urena can eat up innings. You're looking at two hungry competitors ready to prove themselves. With strong bullpen support from both sides—including Josh Hader for Houston—this game might come down to who controls the middle innings. The team that scores first and plays clean baseball wins.