September 13—With a Wednesday night loss, the Los Angeles Angels ensured they would end the season in a familiar spot.
With a win on Thursday afternoon, the Houston Astros moved one step closer to their annual destination.
The Astros will try to maintain their 4 1/2-game lead in the American League West against the Angels in the opener of a three-game series Friday in Anaheim, California.
Yusei Kikuchi (8-9, 4.31 ERA) will pitch for the Astros against left-hander Samuel Aldgery (1-1, 2.45).
The Angels have Thursday off after losing to the host Minnesota Twins 6-4 in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday night.
The Astros avoided a third consecutive defeat with a 6-3 win over the visiting Oakland Athletics on Thursday afternoon.
Houston (78-68) is ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners, who lost 5-4 to the Texas Rangers on Thursday. On June 18, the Astros trailed the Mariners by 10 games and were aiming to win a division title for the fourth consecutive season and seventh time in eight years.
The Astros, who have lost three games in a row, led for only four innings in Thursday’s comeback attempt. In the finale against Oakland, Houston scored four runs in the eighth inning with two outs and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
“This is the best time of year to play baseball — by October, you have a chance to control your own destiny,” said outfielder Jason Heyward after he split the ball in the second inning to hit his first home run as a member of the Astros.
The Angels (60-86) were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday, officially ending their hopes of playing in October. Los Angeles has missed the playoffs in each of the last 10 seasons, the longest active drought in the majors, though the Detroit Tigers could be tied with the Angels if they fail to make the postseason this month.
The Angels could be facing a ninth consecutive season losing streak, the longest such losing streak in the major leagues. Los Angeles needs to win at least eight of its remaining 16 games to avoid breaking the franchise record of 95 losses set in 1968 and 1980.
Italian Aldeguirre accomplished a rare feat in his most recent start on Sept. 6, giving up one run in six innings to earn his first major league win in a 6-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The 22-year-old right-hander became the first Italian to win in the majors, following Marino Pieretti for the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 21, 1949.
“It’s definitely something I want to accomplish,” Aldegheri said. “I did it, so it feels really good.”
Aldeghay, who is making his third big league appearance, has never pitched against the Astros.
Kikuchi proved to be a great trade deadline acquisition for Houston. Since signing with the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29, he is 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA, and the Astros have won all seven of his starts.
Kikuchi allowed four runs in six innings as the Astros beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-5 on Saturday. He is 1-4 with a 9.99 ERA in 11 career games against the Angels (nine starts).
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