Houston faces Los Angeles following Cole's strong showing
Los Angeles Angels (63-67, fourth in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (82-47, first in the AL West)
Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Angels: Jose Suarez (2-4, 6.75 ERA) Astros: Zack Greinke (13-4, 2.84 ERA)
BOTTOM LINE: Houston heads into the matchup after a strong showing by Gerrit Cole. Cole threw seven innings, surrendering zero runs on two hits with 12 strikeouts against Detroit.
The Astros are 39-15 against AL West teams. The Houston offense has compiled a .273 batting average as a team this season, good for second in the American League. Michael Brantley leads the team with an average of .338.
The Angels are 26-33 against the rest of their division. Los Angeles's lineup has 185 home runs this season, Mike Trout leads the club with 42 homers.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brantley leads the Astros with 159 hits and has 78 RBIs. Alex Bregman is 11-for-35 with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Houston.
Trout leads the Angels with 71 extra base hits and has 98 RBIs. Shohei Ohtani is 16-for-38 with three doubles, two triples, a home run and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .259 batting average, 4.17 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs
Angels: 4-6, .274 batting average, 5.65 ERA, outscored by seven runs
Astros Injuries: Aaron Sanchez: (pectoral), Ryan Pressly: (knee), Lance McCullers Jr.: (elbow), Josh James: (shoulder), Aledmys Diaz: (foot), Carlos Correa: (back).
Angels Injuries: Felix Pena: (knee), Keynan Middleton: (elbow), Griffin Canning: (elbow), Justin Anderson: (lat), Andrelton Simmons: (foot), Tommy La Stella: (tibia), Zack Cozart: (shoulder), Kevan Smith: (back).
