A pair of American League West teams coming off series victories will meet on Monday in the first of a three-game set when the Los Angeles Angels host the visiting Athletics in Anaheim, Calif.

Los Angeles fell 3-2 in its series finale against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, but the club took two of three and has won four of its last six entering Monday. The Angels are tied with the Texas Rangers for third in the AL West at 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros.

They struck out 18 times in the setback on Sunday, 14 coming against starter George Kirby.

“What I noticed out there tonight is that (Kirby) can put you away,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He was able to put us away, but we stayed in the ballgame with him.”

Before the loss on Sunday, the Angels had averaged 6.6 runs across their previous five games.

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe is one member of the lineup that Los Angeles wants to get going. The 25-year-old is second on the team in both home runs (14) and RBIs (31) — trailing only Taylor Ward’s 18 homers and 45 RBIs. O’Hoppe, however, is just 3-for-29 (.103) over the last seven games and is batting .241 on the season.

“There’s so much stuff this year that I’m learning and trying to navigate through,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s just another little block I’ve got to work through. … I haven’t felt good behind the plate all year. I haven’t felt convicted in what I’m doing. I haven’t felt strong back there.”

Looking to help the Angels get back to their winning ways, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-5, 3.23 ERA) is scheduled to make the 14th start of his first season in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old allowed three earned runs in five innings in a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. The Angels won 4-3 in 10 innings.

Kikuchi is 2-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 57 1/3 innings over 11 career starts against the Athletics.

After picking up a 5-1 win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, the Athletics enter play winners in three of four and are on the heels of their first series win since taking two of three against the Miami Marlins on May 2-4.

“We always talk about taking things one game at a time,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “This was a good sign and the club’s playing better. We’re going in the right direction.”

The story of the season for the club has been rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson. Though he appeared in 28 games a season ago, the 23-year-old is eligible for the American League Rookie of the Year award and is a heavy favorite for the accolade.

Wilson’s .372 batting average and 93 hits are second most in the majors, behind only New York Yankees All-Star slugger Aaron Judge, while entering Monday riding a nine-game hitting streak.

“It feels amazing to be able to come out here and get this win today,” Wilson said on Sunday. “And to be able to compete with Judge is pretty cool. It’s been a special run with this team. We’re going to take these two wins into Anaheim.”

Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (5-4, 4.66) is expected to get the start for the A’s. The 32-year-old is coming off a no-decision on Wednesday when he allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-1 loss to the host Minnesota Twins.

Springs’ last victory came on May 13, an 11-1 win over the host Los Angeles Dodgers. He yielded one run on six hits and two walks while fanning four in seven innings.

The 32-year-old has a career mark of 2-2 against the Angels with one save, a 4.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 22 innings over 11 appearances (three starts).

Perhaps a winning weekend in the Bronx can spark the Boston Red Sox, who have had to overcome close losses and numerous injuries for a challenging start to the season that has them in fourth place in the American League East.

After clinching the series win over the New York Yankees with an 11-7 victory on Sunday night, the Red Sox will look to keep up the momentum on Monday night when they begin the first series of a six-game homestand against another division rival in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Manager Alex Cora’s club has scored at least six runs in four straight contests, including reaching double digits in back-to-back games to conclude the series in New York.

Without the likes of star third baseman Alex Bregman, former Yankee Carlos Narvaez hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning and Abraham Toro went 3-for-5 with two doubles and his own round-tripper. It was a 12-hit Red Sox attack on Sunday.

“We need everybody to contribute,” Cora said.

Youngsters have been a key part of Boston’s recent play, though highly regarded rookie third baseman Marcelo Mayer is still adjusting to life on the bench. He homered on Friday and had a pinch hit on Saturday, though he was again out of the Sunday starting lineup and later got in the game.

“Like I told him, at one point — I don’t know if it’s going to be this season or one point in his career — we’re not going to pinch hit for him,” Cora said. “I made sure to let him know that, because he’s very important to what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.91 ERA) failed to complete five innings in the last five of his six May starts, but he worked six solid last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander struck out four while allowing three runs on six hits, though the Red Sox wound up taking a 4-3 loss after he exited.

Prior to that outing, Red Sox pitchers had allowed at least one first-inning run in four consecutive games.

“Just trying to control what I can control,” Bello said.

Bello is 2-4 with a 5.73 ERA in seven career appearances against Tampa Bay, two of which came last season when he struck out 13 over 11 2/3 innings.

The Rays will provide a stiff challenge in Boston, having just gone 5-1 on a six-game homestand which they capped with a 3-2 win on Sunday over the Miami Marlins. It clinched Tampa’s sixth straight series win or split and makes it a league-best 14-4 since May 20.

“There are days that we’re not going to hit, offense is not going to be there,” Rays designated hitter/first baseman Yandy Diaz said. “But (on Sunday), defense was there, and our baserunning was good, and we did our job.”

Diaz went 3-for-4 with a game-tying home run and a double on Sunday. It was his sixth three-hit game of the season. After his eighth-inning double, Jose Caballero came off the bench and stole third before scoring the deciding run on Brandon Lowe’s sacrifice fly.

“Cabby is about as fearless of a player that I’ve been around,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He knows the purpose of him going in there.”

Rays right-hander Shane Baz (5-3, 4.96) will look to duplicate his success against Boston from earlier in the season, as he struck out 11 and allowed just one run on two hits in a six-inning start on April 14.

Baz has beaten the Red Sox in all three of his career starts, pitching to a 2.37 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 innings.

The 25-year-old is also coming off a 5-4 home victory in his start last Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. He allowed three runs and struck out five over five innings.

–Field Level Media