The Los Angeles Angels (53-63) will match-up against the New York Yankees (59-57) tonight from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in the first of a four-game series. The game can be live streamed here. Angel's fans can hear the action on the radio at AM 830 KLAA while Yankees fans can access the game by tuning the dial to WCBS-AM 880.
The third place Yankees enter Monday 10 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox in the American League East while the Angels enter play in fourth place in the AL West while trailing the first place Texas Rangers by 14.5 games. The Yankees are seven games out of the second wildcard spot, while Los Angeles is 13-games back.
Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 2.45 ERA) takes the mound for the Yankees tonight and will be opposed by the Angels' Garrett Richards. Kuroda hasn't pitched at Yankee Stadium since July 12 against the Minnesota Twins, but he owns the best home ERA in the AL with a 1.74 mark in the Bronx. Kuroda is also 6-2 in 10 starts at home this season and will finally return home after starting his last four games on the road. The right-hander brings a 13.1 scoreless innings streak at Yankee Stadium into his start tonight.
According to ESPN, Kuroda has the one of the worst run-support averages in the majors at 3.38, and he has a 2-1 record with a 2.67 ERA in five career starts against the Angels.
Through seven starts for the Angels, Richards is 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 85.2 innings. Richards replaced Joe Blanton in the rotation on July 27.
The Yankees got controversial third baseman Alex Rodriguez back from a Grade 1 quadriceps injury last week after the slugger experienced a set-back when trying to return from hip surgery he had last January. Rodriguez is currently appealing his unprecedented 211-game suspension from Major League Baseball for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, and has gone 5-for-19 through five games in his return, hitting his first homerun of the season in Sunday's win against Detroit.
The Angels are looking to bounce back from a rough loss to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday that saw Los Angeles blow a five-run lead and lose the ballgame 6-5. The Yankees almost lost their game Sunday after Mariano Rivera blew his third straight save for the first time in his storybook career. However, Brett Gardner bailed out his closer with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth and the Bronx Bombers topped the Tigers 5-4.
Outfielder Mike Trout looks to continue his success against New York. According to ESPN, Trout boasts a .311 career average against the Yankees through 11 games with four doubles and four stolen bases. Los Angeles lost two of three to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium last year, but Trout was 5-for-10 with five walks in a June 14-16 series against the Yankees in Los Angeles.
Trout and the Angels will look to avenge last year's series loss at Yankee stadium, while the Yankees will try to give Kuroda some run support.
"He has pitched extremely well and he should have a lot more than 10 wins," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told ESPN.
The Yankees look to get him win No.11 tonight.
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