Angels, Reds struggling to score ahead of series opener

The Los Angeles Angels and host Cincinnati Reds will look for a spark to ignite their offenses on Friday night when the teams open a three-game interleague series.

The Angels answered a season-high three-game winning streak by mustering just two runs in each of their past two contests -- both losses.

"I mean, it's no mystery. They know they have to have better at-bats," Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. "... I say it all the time, and I know it, but the game can change in one swing. Right now we're scuffling, but we have to put at-bats together instead of a good at-bat and some bad ones."

Like the Angels, Cincinnati followed a season-best winning streak, five games, by totaling just five runs in its last two contests -- both losses.

"We want our guys to be aggressive, especially with fastballs," Reds manager Terry Francona said after the team's 8-1 shellacking by the Miami Marlins on Thursday. "And then they started spinning it down below the bat, and that's when it got a little tough for us."

Cincinnati's Sal Stewart, however, has made life tough on opposing pitchers this season. The rookie has homered in consecutive games and is 5-for-14 with five RBIs during a four-game hitting streak.

Spencer Steer and Matt McLain each recorded two of the seven hits on Thursday for the Reds, who went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Cincinnati is batting a paltry .168 with runners in scoring position this season and has a majors-worst 39 runs in 13 games.

As a result, the Reds have relied heavily on their pitching.

On Friday, Cincinnati will turn to Chase Burns (1-0, 0.82 ERA) against fellow right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (1-0, 4.66).

Burns has been brilliant in both of his starts this season. He allowed one hit and struck out seven over five scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 30 before yielding one run and fanning nine in six frames of a no-decision vs. the Texas Rangers on Sunday. Cincinnati won 2-1.

Burns, 23, and Kochanowicz, 25, have yet to face Friday's opponents during their careers.

Kochanowicz rebounded from a dismal season-opening start to scatter four hits and strike out seven over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. That game likely will be best remembered for Jo Adell's three home-run-robbing catches, but Kochanowicz certainly did his part.

On Wednesday, Adell collected three hits in the Angels' 8-2 setback to the Atlanta Braves. He is 9-for-20 during a five-game hitting streak.

Adell aside, other members of the team are struggling mightily. Mike Trout is mired in a 2-for-29 slump with 12 strikeouts in his past eight games, while Yoan Moncada is 1-for-19 with 13 strikeouts this month.

"It's tough because everything is so stockpiled into a small sample size right now," catcher Logan O'Hoppe said, per the Los Angeles Daily News. "One thing I've learned going on Year No. 4 now is that how long of a year it is. In the moment, it feels like it's forever, but it's not the case. We have a road trip coming up here, and we'll have a good trip."

--Field Level Media