This story was originally published by Dead Spin
With a loss Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Angels ensured they would finish the season in a familiar spot.
With a win Thursday afternoon, the Houston Astros inched closer to their annual destination.
The Astros will look to maintain their 4 1/2-game lead in the American League West on Friday when they face the Angels in the opener of a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Yusei Kikuchi (8-9, 4.31 ERA) is slated to start for the Astros against fellow left-hander Samuel Aldegheri (1-1, 2.45).
The Angels were off Thursday after falling to the host Minnesota Twins 6-4 in the decisive game of a three-game series Wednesday night.
The Astros avoided being swept in a three-game set Thursday afternoon when they beat the visiting Oakland Athletics 6-3.
Houston (78-68) is leading the second-place Seattle Mariners, who fell to the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Thursday. The Astros, who trailed the Mariners by 10 games on June 18, are aiming to win the division for the fourth straight season and for the seventh time in the eight years.
The Astros, who were on a three-game losing streak, led for just four innings in their comeback effort on Thursday. In the finale vs. Oakland, Houston snapped a 2-2 tie by scoring four runs — all with two outs — in the eighth inning.
“It’s the best time of year to be playing baseball — leading into October, having an opportunity to be in control of your destiny,” said outfielder Jason Heyward, who hit his first homer as a member of the Astros when he delivered a two-run shot in the second inning.
Any hopes the Angels (60-86) had of playing in October officially disappeared Wednesday, when they were eliminated from postseason contention. Los Angeles has missed the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons, the longest active drought in the majors, though the Detroit Tigers would match the Angels if they come up short this month.
The Angels are also assured of finishing with a losing record for the ninth straight season, which is the longest active streak in the majors. Los Angeles needs to win at least eight of its remaining 16 games to avoid tying the franchise record for losses, 95, set in 1968 and matched in 1980.
Aldegheri, a native of Italy, provided a rare highlight in his most recent start on Sept. 6, when he earned his first major league win by allowing one run over six innings as the Angels beat the Texas Rangers 6-1. The 22-year-old southpaw became the first Italian native to record a win in the majors since Marino Pieretti did so for the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 21, 1949.
“It was, for sure, something I was looking to accomplish,” Aldegheri said. “I did it, so it feels really great.”
Aldegheri, who will be making his third big league start, has never opposed the Astros.
Kikuchi has proved to be a superb trade-deadline acquisition for Houston. Since arriving in a July 29 deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, he is 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA, and the Astros have won all seven of his starts.
Kikuchi earned a win on Saturday, when he gave up four runs over six innings during the Astros’ 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is 1-4 with a 9.99 ERA in 11 career games (nine starts) against the Angels.
–Field Level Media
