MLB Game Preview - Texas at LA Angels

Wed Aug 28, 2019 10:07 PM EDT

Patrick Sandoval will start for the Angels on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, his fifth appearance and fourth start this season at the major league level following a swift rise through the Los Angeles farm system.

Just last season, Sandoval, 22, was playing Class-A ball, first in the Houston Astros' organization and later in the Angels' system.

The Angels acquired Sandoval at the trade deadline in 2018 for starting catcher Martin Maldonado, hoping that Sandoval would provide some minor league pitching depth and eventually reach the big leagues.

The fact that Sandoval, a left-hander, reached the majors with the Angels on Aug. 5 of this season is a case of "good news-bad news."

The good news for the Angels is that Sandoval soared through the club's minor league system, going 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA in seven starts combined last year between Class-A Inland Empire and Double-A Mobile. It earned him a promotion to Triple-A Salt Lake at the start of this season.

"Patrick Sandoval continued to check off the boxes of his development plan in Mobile which gave us the confidence to move to him to Salt Lake and continue to challenge him," Angels general manager Billy Eppler told MLB.com.

Pitching for the Bees this year, Sandoval had his ups and downs, going 4-4 with a 6.41 ERA in 15 starts. Not great numbers, but the bad news for the Angels is that they had a need on the mound at the major league level because of a combination of poor performance and injuries that have beset the pitching staff all season.

Sandoval (0-1, 6.75 ERA) is one of 18 pitchers who have made at least one start for the club this year. His most recent start came against Wednesday's opponent, the Rangers, who knocked him out of the Aug. 21 game after just 3 1/3 innings.

Sandoval gave up four runs on eight hits, including a home run to Willie Calhoun.

The Rangers have their first two pitchers lined up for Wednesday, with rookie right-hander Emmanuel Clase (1-2, 4.35 ERA) serving as the opener ahead of Ariel Jurado (6-10, 5.48).

Clase has opposed the Angels once in his nine major league outings, which have all been in relief. He pitched two scoreless, hitless innings and earned the win as Texas took the second game of an Aug. 20 doubleheader 3-2 in 11 innings.

Jurado has struggled of late, losing his past four starts and going winless in his past five.

He hasn't won since July 25 against Oakland, going 0-4 with a 7.66 ERA in the five starts since.

Jurado, though, is coming off the first complete game of his career. Granted, it was an eight-inning complete game, as the Rangers lost 6-1 in Chicago to the White Sox. Jurado allowed six runs and 10 hits, making 112 pitches, but he gave the weary Rangers bullpen a rest.

"That is the best I have seen him throw in a while," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "I know he gave up six, but he saved our rear. But his performance, he was better."

Jurado is 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA in two starts against the Angels this season, and is 0-1 with a 5.64 ERA in four games (three starts) against them in his career.

Angels center fielder Mike Trout homered in Tuesday's game, his major-league-leading 43rd of the season. He has 11 home runs against Texas this year, the most against any club by any Angels hitter in a single season.

--Field Level Media