OK, allow a little promotion here, but Wednesday's ESPN game between the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros (8 p.m. ET) is worth checking out. Don't worry; you can still keep an eye on Twitter between pitches for the latest trade rumors.

Nine reasons why you should watch:

1. It's the biggest game of the year so far!

The teams are in a virtual tie for the AL West lead after the Astros knocked out C.J. Wilson in the series opener on Tuesday. The Astros lead the season series 6-5, with two games remaining this week and then six more games in September.

2. Lance McCullers Jr. starts for Houston.

This 21-year-old rookie has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, jumping to the majors after mediocre results in Class A last year and only a few innings in Double-A before his promotion. He has a 2.60 ERA, his fastball averages 94.3 mph, he has a great curveball that he throws more than 30 percent of the time and his slider is his wipeout pitch du jour, as batters are hitting .110 against it with a 44 percent strikeout rate. If you don't like this kid, you don't like baseball.

Lance McCullers Jr. is a Rookie of the Year candidate in the American League. AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

3. Garrett Richards starts for the Angels.

Richards starts for the Angels and his fastball averages 95.3 mph. So lots of premium heat to enjoy in this one. Richards is one of the key pitchers to watch in the final two months. His season started a few weeks late while recovering from last August's torn patella tendon, and he hasn't had the same consistent dominance of 2014. On June 6, he failed to get out of the first inning against the Yankees; on July 9, the Mariners knocked him around for 12 hits. Overall, his strikeout rate has dropped 6 percent and his home run rate has normalized a bit after allowing just five last season in 26 starts. However, he may be getting back in a good groove: He has a 2.34 ERA in his past eight starts and his K rate has popped back up, with only that one bad outing against Seattle. It's worth noting, however, that his road ERA is 4.73 compared to 2.08 at home. Still, he has the stuff to go on a big two-month run and carry this rotation.

4. Albert Pujols might hit his 30th home run.

It would be his 13th season with 30-plus home runs. Only five players have that many: Hank Aaron (15), Alex Rodriguez (14), Barry Bonds (14), Babe Ruth (13) and Mike Schmidt (13). After hitting .303 with 13 home runs in June, Pujols has cooled off a bit in July, hitting .244 with five home runs. Is he the Pujols of his prime in St. Louis? No -- the batting average is down and he doesn't walk much anymore as he's become more of a one-dimensional slugger. But he's still a feared slugger, and the Angels' offense is hot, leading the majors with 6.0 runs per game this month.

5. Jose Altuve.

Because he's Jose Altuve! He's also had a big month, hitting .348 with 16 RBIs.

6. Maybe a trade will break during the game.

And it could be a big one. The Astros already acquired Scott Kazmir, but rumors say they're in on Cole Hamels and maybe Craig Kimbrel. Going after Hamels makes a lot of sense for the Astros for several reasons: (A) There's an obvious big advantage to winning the division and avoiding the wild-card game. (B) Acquiring another starter takes more pressure off McCullers and fellow rookie Vincent Velasquez, and allows the Astros to hold down their innings. (C) The highest-paid Astros player under contract is Scott Feldman, who will make $8 million next season, so they have a lot of payroll flexibility the next few seasons.

7. Carlos Correa is the game's next big star.

The rookie shortstop is on a tear again, hitting .394 since the All-Star break with two home runs and nearly as many walks (six) as strikeouts (eight). His emergence is a big reason the Astros' timetable is now ... not 2016. His .895 OPS leads all major league shortstops (minimum 150 at-bats). Next big star? Or maybe already a star.

8. Evan Gattis might hit a triple.

This has to be the most amazing stat of the year: The not-exactly-fleet DH has seven triples. I'd say this is a quirk of Houston's home park, but the Astros have only 12 triples as a team. So if the triple is the most exciting play in baseball, then a Gattis triple is like the most exciting play in baseball times two.

9. Mike Trout!

He sat out Tuesday with a sore wrist. And while he isn't in the Angels' starting lineup for Wednesday's game, Trout is hitting .315/.405/.632 with 31 home runs. He's on his way to his second straight MVP award with better numbers than 2014. A primary reason why: He's made adjustments against high fastballs, the pitch that gave him problems a season ago.

Trout vs. fastballs in the upper third of the strike zone (or above):

2014: .097/.398/.194

2015: .250/.459/.545

He still prefers to lay off the pitch, but when he does swing, he's making more contact and doing more damage.

Oh, fastballs in the bottom third of the zone? He's hitting .407. Yeah, he's better against those pitches as well.