Highlights
Preview
ANGELS AT ROYALS KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Los Angeles Angels visit the Kansas City Royals on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium. The forecast calls for clear skies, 64 degrees. The Angels (12-14) will start right-hander Walbert Urena (0-2), who is still seeking his first win of the season. The Royals (8-17) have not announced a probable pitcher but will counter with their own bullpen depth after a 5-0 shutout win over Los Angeles on Friday night. Urena has struggled to find consistency, and the Angels rotation remains in flux. Fellow righty Cole Ragans (0-4) is also slated for work out of the bullpen after a rough start to the campaign. Kansas City enters as a -1.5 favorite per Interstat’s market, though the same simulator projects a 3-1 Angels win. The over/under is 8.5. PLAYERS TO WATCH Angels right-hander José Soriano has been electric in recent outings. Over his last five appearances (Interstat) — all wins (Interstat) — he has allowed just one earned run across 31 2/3 innings, striking out 36. On April 22 against Toronto, he threw five innings of scoreless, four-strikeout ball. In his previous start April 17 vs. San Diego, he went 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and no runs. Soriano has not allowed an earned run in four of those five starts. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has shown flashes of power but has been inconsistent. In a 6-8 loss to Baltimore on April 22, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. He also homered April 17 at Yankee Stadium, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a 4-2 loss. However, over his previous four games before Friday, Pasquantino was 0-for-12. RECENT RESULTS Los Angeles beat Toronto 7-3 on Wednesday, powered by Nolan Schanuel’s 2-for-4, one homer, four-RBI performance and Soriano’s scoreless start. Kansas City dropped an 8-6 decision to Baltimore on Wednesday despite homers from Pasquantino, Carter Jensen and Kyle Isbel. The series continues Sunday before the Angels head to Chicago for a three-game set against the White Sox.

