CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels will meet Friday night at Progressive Field in the second game of their four-game series. In the first game of the series the Indians won a game but lost a player, while the Angels lost another game, which is becoming a distressing habit.
The availability of Indians designated hitter Carlos Santana for Friday's game is uncertain. Santana had to leave Thursday's game in the fifth inning after he was hit in the right side of the head by a line drive off the bat of teammate Francisco Lindor.
Santana was sitting in the dugout at the time. "I could hear it hit him. It was not a good feeling," manager Terry Francona said. "But he was doing much better after the game. He doesn't think he has a concussion, but we'll get him checked out in the morning."
Santana hit one of the three home runs the Indians belted in their 14-4 rout of the Angels on Thursday. In Friday's game the Indians will send Carlos Carrasco (7-6, 3.17) to the mound. Carrasco is coming off a fine effort in his last start, despite being the losing pitcher in a 3-2 loss to the Yankees on Aug. 7.
In that game Carrasco pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits, with nine strikeouts and two walks. It was a nice bounce back start for Carrasco, who like all Indians starting pitchers not named Corey Kluber, have had a bumpy last couple of weeks.
Friday will be Carrasco's fourth career start and eighth career appearance against the Angels. In his seven career appearances against the Angels Carrasco is 1-0 with a 1.36 ERA.
The Angels will send Tyler Skaggs to the mound Friday. Skaggs is 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA in three starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of the 2015 season. In his last start, Aug. 6 at Seattle, Skaggs gave up four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. However, in his first two starts, against Kansas City and Boston, he pitched a combined 12 1/3 scoreless innings on seven hits, with 13 strikeouts and three walks.
Skaggs will go to the mound Friday trying to become the stopper of the Angels' longest losing streak in six years. The Angels have lost seven games in a row, their longest losing streak since they lost seven in row in April and May of 2010.
"At times during the streak we have swung the bats well but not pitched well, and at other times we've pitched well but haven't hit," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "We haven't been able to blend the two together."
The Angels' last win was an 8-6 victory over Oakland on Aug. 3.
"Nobody is taking this in stride," Scioscia said. "Nobody wants to get on a streak like this. It begins with our starting pitching. We're not frustrated so much as determined. Determined to grind through this and come out better on the other side."
