Los Angeles @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2007 ) LA Angels 6, St. Louis 9
Entering the season’s first interleague series, the Los Angeles Angels haven’t exactly been lighting the league on fire. But they have far from scuffled.
The Angels, winners of the previous three American League West crowns, find themselves in the unfamiliar position of third place in the division, just 4 ½ games behind the Oakland Athletics.
Working in the Angels favor as they travel to St. Louis for a three-game set with the Cardinals, is their success against National League foes.
Los Angeles owns 128 all-time interleague victories which ties the club for third most in all of the majors, including last year’s 14-4 record.
The Cardinals have enjoyed some success of their own when facing the American League as their .526 win percentage (100-90) is the second-best mark in the NL.
The teams have faced each other three times, with the Cardinals holding a 2-1 edge.
St. Louis enters the matchup with Los Angeles having won three of their last four during a current seven-game homestand.
Matt Holliday broke out of a mini slump by doubling twice and driving in a pair of runs in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Florida Marlins.
Holliday, who signed a big free-agent deal with team during the offseason, was just 8-for-51 with runners in scoring position entering the contest.
Brad Penny will try to emulate the success fellow starter Adam Wainwright enjoyed as he takes the mound in Friday’s opener.
Penny, another key free-agent pickup for St. Louis, has an ERA of 2.73 and a record of 3-4 on the season despite struggling of late.
The veteran right-hander has dropped four consecutive starts, including Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in which he was charged with all the runs on 13 hits in five innings.
Taking the ball for the Angels will be Joel Pineiro, who is very familiar with Busch Stadium having spent the last three seasons with the team.
Pineiro is working on 17 1/3 scoreless innings, including a four-hit shutout of the A’s in his last outing.
The right-hander has been good in his career pitching in St. Louis, where he is 13-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 29 appearances, all but one coming as a starter.
Angels closer Brian Fuentes is hoping to have put some of his early-season troubles behind him as he has recorded saves on consecutive days, including Thursday’s 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox, and has six in eight opportunities to date.