MLB Game Preview - LA Angels at Cincinnati

Mon Aug 5, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

Los Angeles Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval is scheduled to make his major-league debut in the opener of a two-game series at the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

Sandoval is an Orange County native who was acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Martin Maldonado at last season's trade deadline.

Sandoval was 4-4 with a 6.41 ERA in 15 starts with Triple-A Salt Lake. He was 0-3 with a 3.60 ERA with Double-A Mobile earlier this season.

Sandoval likely would have remained in the minors for more seasoning, but the Angels have become desperate for pitching following injuries to several pitchers and the tragic death of Tyler Skaggs last month.

They placed two more starting pitchers on the injured list on Sunday. Felix Pena tore his right ACL while covering first base in a 7-2 loss at the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night, and rookie right-hander Griffin Canning has inflammation in his throwing elbow.

Andrew Heaney went on the injured list on July 20 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He's scheduled to throw a simulated game on Monday, but likely won't return until next weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

The Angels also will be without shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who continues to be bothered by a sprained left ankle that kept him out five weeks earlier this season.

"We're not sure on the exact time frame on (Simmons' injury), but it's certainly going to be at least couple of weeks," Angels manager Brad Ausmus told reporters before the Angels lost 6-2 in the series finale against the Indians on Sunday, their eighth loss in the past 10 games.

After climbing as high as five games over .500 following a two-game sweep at the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 23-24, the Angels are 56-57 and nine games out of the AL wild-card race.

Cincinnati right-hander Luis Castillo (10-4, 2.63 ERA) is scheduled to make his fourth straight start at home. He has never faced the Angels in his three-year career.

Castillo went 3-1 last month with 3.13 ERA and also pitched in his first All-Star Game. He wrapped up the month by allowing one run and six hits in seven innings of a 4-1 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

It was a substantial improvement over Castillo's previous outing, when he allowed a season-high six runs and eight hits in five innings of a 12-2 loss to the visiting Colorado Rockies on July 26.

"I made the adjustments in the bullpen," Castillo said after the win against Pittsburgh. "That's why I had a really good game."

The Reds received a stellar pitching performance from starter Sonny Gray on Sunday at the Atlanta Braves. He threw seven shutout innings before the bullpen gave away the lead. Cincinnati eventually won 6-4 in 10 innings, earning a split of the four-game series.

The Angels won a two-game series against the visiting Reds in June, with both victories coming by the score of 5-1.

The players who did most of the damage in that series have either since been injured or sent to the minors.

Tommy La Stella, who hit an inside-the-park homer in the first game against the Reds, is expected to be out another month after fouling a pitch off his leg and breaking a bone on July 3, the first game for the Angels following Skaggs' death two days earlier.

Justin Bour, who belted two home runs in the second game, was sent down to Salt Lake on July 17.

--Field Level Media