Los Angeles @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2018 ) LA Angels 2, Houston 4

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Houston Astros are trying to hold off the Oakland Athletics in the race for the American League West title. The reigning World Series champions hold a 3 1/2-game lead over the Athletics as they prepare to open a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in their final home series of the season.

Although Houston finishes the season with seven games away from home, it is a major league-best 52-22 on the road and the final four are at Baltimore, which owns the worst record in baseball. The Astros lost for only the fourth time in 17 games this month with a 9-0 drubbing by Seattle on Wednesday, but they will send 14-game winner Gerrit Cole to the mound for the series opener against Los Angeles. Houston split a four-game home series at the turn of the month against the Angels, who were bludgeoned by a combined score of 31-3 in their last two games against Oakland. Mike Trout belted his 36th homer in Thursday's 21-3 rout but he is only 10-for-52 against the Astros this season.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH Andrew Heaney (9-9, 3.97 ERA) vs. Astros RH Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.88)

Heaney did not factor in the decision versus Seattle on Saturday, giving up a pair of runs and eight hits over five innings. He was overpowering in his previous turn, striking out a season-high 12 batters and blanking the Chicago White Sox on three hits over seven innings. Heaney improved to 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA in his career against the Astros after tossing six shutout innings at Houston on Aug. 30.

Cole was 0-3 in his first four starts after the All-Star break but he has turned things around and is 4-0 over his last six turns, permitting two earned runs or fewer in five of them. During the unbeaten streak, Cole has 53 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings, including nine in a 4-2 win over the Angels on Sept. 2. Justin Upton is 6-for-16 against Cole, who is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts versus the Angels in 2018.

WALK-OFFS

1. Astros 1B Yuli Gurriel has hit safely in six straight games.

2. Angels C Francisco Arcia pulled double duty Thursday, hitting a homer and pitching two innings in relief.

3. Houston 3B Alex Bregman has only a single in 17 at-bats over his last six games.

PREDICTION: Astros 4, Angels 3