On the heels of a promising first half of the season, the Los Angeles Angels will open a six game road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies to begin their second half of the season.

The Angels will be tasked with a competitive stretch with the trade deadline looming at the end of July. They face the New York Mets on the road after the Phillies, just before hosting division rivals, the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, to conclude July.

This upcoming stretch will be especially crucial as the calendar turns to August, as their performance will likely determine whether the team buys or sells at the trade deadline. If they were to lean towards selling, the Angels offer a plethora of expiring contracts that could see the trade market. 

However, the Angels have surprisingly remained in striking distance of an American League Wild Card over the recent month. As of the All Star break, the team sits four games back of a Wild Card spot with a record of 47-49.

LAA: RHP Jose Soriano (6-7, 3.90 ERA, 98 K’s) 

PHI: LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.14 ERA, 122 K’s)

LAA: LHP Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA, 82 K’s)

PHI: RHP Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.55 ERA, 49 K’s)

LAA: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-6, 3.11 ERA, 115 K’s)

PHI: LHP Ranger Suarez (7-3, 2.15 ERA, 78 K’s)

Angels: In their first steps towards proving their contention abilities, the team will be tasked with facing a strong Phillies rotation to open the second half. To their luck, Los Angeles will be fortunate to avoid Phillies All Star RHP Zack Wheeler and LHP Christopher Sanchez, who has logged a 2.50 ERA this season. 

Prior to the break, the Angels went 4-3 in a seven game homestand to close off a solid stretch. They scored a total of 17 runs in their series win against the Diamondbacks to close the first half.

Kikuchi, the lone Angel to be selected to the All Star game, is slated to pitch on Sunday against a Phillies squad that has had a lot of success against lefties. 

Second baseman Christian Moore will remain on the injured list with a sprained left thumb until early August. The rookie has had a couple of statement moments, including a walk-off home run, in his first 18 career games.

Phillies: The Phillies are coming off a rough trip on the west coast, where they lost back-to-back series to the Giants and Padres to end the first half.

Bryce Harper recently made his return from injury in early July. He has a .308 batting average over his last seven games, hitting his first home run since his return in San Francisco on July 9th.

Heading into the second half, the Phillies sit atop first place in the National League East by just half a game, ahead of the Mets. The team holds one of the best home records in baseball, having gone 30-16 at Citizens Bank Park this season.Â