Los Angeles @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 26, 2018 ) Chi. White Sox 8, LA Angels 12

Shohei Ohtani the pitcher is done for the season but Ohtani the slugger is far from finished as the Los Angeles Angels complete a 10-game road trip with three against the Chicago White Sox starting Friday. Ohtani, who learned Wednesday that he will need Tommy John surgery, shrugged off the bad news with a pair of home runs in Los Angeles' 9-3 victory over Texas on Wednesday, giving him 18 with 47 RBIs in 247 at-bats of his magical rookie season.

"He's a professional," Angels' shortstop Andrelton Simmons told reporters about the 24-year-old Ohtani, who went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts. "People will never understand how seriously he takes his job. He's very professional. He comes in, he works. He does his homework, and he balls. He goes out there and impresses his teammates every day, really. It's nice to see that he's still in good spirits. And he can still hit a ball really, really hard." Ohtani, who has served exclusively as a designated hitter when not pitching, is 11-for-26 with five home runs and nine RBIs in his last five starts as DH. Chicago (56-84) enters on a two-game slide, getting outscored by Detroit 18-5, but has won 14 of its last 22 games as the rebuilding process continues. Los Angeles' Felix Pena brings a 2.14 road ERA to Guaranteed Rate Field and opposes Carlos Rodon, who lost for the first time since June 30 in his last outing.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), NBCS Chicago Plus

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Felix Pena (1-4, 4.19 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Carlos Rodon (6-4, 2.89)

Pena earned a no-decision after allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits while striking out three in a career-high seven innings of Los Angeles' 7-3 loss at Houston on Saturday. The 28-year-old Dominican is 0-4 with a 4.35 ERA over his last 10 outings with Los Angeles scoring 27 runs during that span. Pena lost his only appearance versus the White Sox - 4-2 on July 24 when he yielded two runs, four hits and three walks over six frames.

It took the best team in baseball to halt Rodon's winning streak as he permitted five runs (four earned), six hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out four over 6 1/3 innings of a 6-1 loss to Boston on Saturday. The 25-year-old Miami native, who has emerged as the ace of the staff, was 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA over nine starts spanning July and August. Mike Trout is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts and three walks versus Rodon, who is 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four career starts against the Angels after defeating them and Pena 4-2 on July 24 with a season-high eight strikeouts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Trout (.305, 31 home runs, 63 RBIs) missed Wednesday's game with a tight calf after getting hit by a pitch Tuesday.

2. Chicago C Kevan Smith (.294 in 143 at-bats) is 6-for-11 with four walks over his last four games, raising his average 21 points.

3. The clubs split a four-game series in July, capped by Los Angeles' 12-8 victory July 26 when C Francisco Arcia (.224, three home runs, 15 RBIs in 25 games) drove in four runs in his major league debut.

PREDICTION: White Sox 3, Angels 2