The suddenly smoldering Los Angeles Angels look to win another series when they face the host Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.
The Angels have won 10 of 12 games and three straight series, while the Royals have lost a season-high 10 in a row.
After taking the series opener 3-0 on Friday night, Los Angeles will send right-hander Griffin Canning (5-2, 4.56 ERA) to the mound on Saturday. Kansas City will counter with righty Mike Mayers (1-2, 5.06).
Canning has three wins in his past four starts, most recently a 9-4 decision over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday when he went five innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits while striking out seven with no walks.
In three career starts against Kansas City, Canning is 2-1 with a 1.45 ERA. The only current Royals he has faced are Salvador Perez and Nicky Lopez, who are a combined 3-for-14 against him. Perez homered in Canning’s lone head-to-head loss.
Injuries are mounting among Angels infielders. The club lost shortstop Zach Neto to a strained left oblique on Wednesday, and third baseman Anthony Rendon was hit by a pitch on his left wrist on Thursday against the Texas Rangers.
“That thing swelled up, but he told me he could field,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Rendon. Despite not being able to swing a bat, Rendon finished the Thursday game, but he did not play Friday.
First baseman Gio Urshela will be lost to the Angels for months after sustaining a pelvic fracture early in the Thursday win over the Rangers. He is expected to be out “a significant amount of time,” Nevin said.
Los Angeles was forced to recall infielders Andrew Velazquez and Michael Stefanic from Triple-A Salt Lake this week.
Velazquez hit .203 with three homers in 23 games in Triple-A. He started at shortstop for the Angels on Friday and went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Stefanic batted .347 with two homers for Salt Lake while setting a franchise record by reaching base in 62 straight games dating back to last season.
The Angels led 1-0 after the first inning of the series opener, so the Royals didn’t have to worry about one of their concerning stats.
Kansas City has scored in the first inning 25 times this year but is 5-20 in those games.
The Royals held a lead in 27 of their past 40 games, but they went 11-29 over that span. Their 24 blown-lead losses match the St. Louis Cardinals for the major league lead.
Kansas City dipped into its farm system on Friday, calling up Samad Taylor from Triple-A Omaha. Taylor, who was acquired in the deal that sent Whit Merrifield to Toronto in August 2022, had a .871 OPS in 62 games for the Omaha.
“I found out yesterday after the game,” Taylor said Friday of learning of his first major league call-up. “I was just frozen, didn’t know how to respond.”
Taylor has stolen 87 bases in 106 attempts over the past three minor league seasons.
“(The speed) is still coming,” Taylor said, “but I feel my legs will do a lot up here.”
Primarily a second baseman over seven years in the minors, Taylor also saw action in the outfield this year, splitting time between left and center.
“He’s a great guy, brings a ton of energy, plays really hard,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We want to get a look at him in this environment.”
A Southern California native, Taylor will reconnect this weekend with teammate Nick Pratto and Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak, with whom he played on a travel team as a youngster.
–Field Level Media
