Despite dropping their last series against their AL West foe, the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros remain at the top of the division with a slight lead over the Texas Rangers.
This week, the Astros will stay at home to face the Los Angeles Angels in another divisional showdown.
While Los Angeles isn’t having the best season, they have still been picking up wins and will look to play spoiler against the Astros this week.
Ahead of the upcoming series between the Astros and Angels, both clubs have begun revealing their probable starters for the three-game set. Let’s get into the details.
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GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 03: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Daikin Park on August 03, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
The Astros are off on Monday, so the series will begin on Tuesday, August 18. Houston carries a record of 63-62 into the series, while the Angels have a record of 49-76.
Here are the probable starters that have been announced thus far, and per usual, they are subject to change:
- Tuesday, August 18: George Klassen (1–1, 5.52 ERA, 14 SO) vs. Cristian Javier (1–3, 6.68 ERA, 25 SO)
- Wednesday, August 19: Walbert Urena (8–8, 2.67 ERA, 102 SO) vs. Ethan Pecko (-,-,-)
- Thursday, August 20: Grayson Rodriguez (3–5, 7.17 ERA, 55 SO) vs. Peter Lambert (8–6, 3.11 ERA, 117 SO)
Uhh, so aside from Peter Lambert, it looks like the hitters on both sides during this series should be feeling pretty good about themselves.
This story will be updated once the final Astros starter is announced for the series, with more insight coming as well.
Update: Ethan Pecko will be promoted to make his MLB debut on Wednesday. Here is a little piece of his MLB.com bio:
“After Pecko didn’t pitch as a Pennsylvania high school senior in 2020 (pandemic) or in his first year at La Salle (Tommy John surgery), the Explorers dropped their baseball program. He transferred to Towson, became a sixth-round pick in 2023 and won the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award during his first full pro season. A strained forearm cost him the first two months of the 2025 season, but he rallied to post a 3.09 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 35 Triple-A innings at the end of the year.”
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