Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off taking three of four against their National League West rival Colorado Rockies, return home for a brief two-game series against the Anaheim Angels to kick off the Freeway Series.
Anticipation is high as the Freeway rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Anaheim Angels, are set to meet in their first regular-season game since the two-way superstar Shohei made his move to the star-studded Dodgers lineup, adding a new dynamic to the game.
The Dodgers have been playing great baseball lately, winning six of their last ten games even though they lost Mookie Betts and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the span of twenty-four hours.
The Angels are treading water as they are currently 5-5 in their last ten games and sit in fourth place in the American League West with only one more win than the “Oakland” Athletics.
The Dodgers hope to keep the vibes rolling as they return home with a sizable nine-game lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Angels hope to get revenge on their former two-time MVP award winner.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Landon Knack (1-1, 2.61 ERA) vs Patrick Sandoval (2-8, 5.24 ERA)
Game Two: Tyler Glasnow (7-5, 3.00 ERA) vs TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 7:10 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports West
Game Two: 7:10 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports West
Who’s in & who’s out?
The Dodgers have had a challenging week with injuries, but they are showing their resilience. The team had to place shortstop Mookie Betts and right-handed pitcher Yamamoto on the IL after suffering injuries during the Kansas City Royals series last weekend.
However, the Dodgers’ starting rotation suffered another blow when right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler was placed on the 15-day IL due to right hip inflammation.
It’s been a challenging return for Buehler, 29, since his recall from the minors after a six-game rehab assignment. His performance has been less than stellar, going 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA in thirty-seven innings pitched. These numbers reflect the difficulties he’s been facing on the field.
The Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller in his place but will replace Buehler with rookie right-handed pitcher Landon Knack, who will get the start to kick off the series on Friday night.
Knack pitched briefly in the first two months of the season, going 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA, and is likely to get a few turns in the rotation until Buehler returns.
Left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw made his first rehab assignment and tossed three innings, allowing one run with five punchouts. However, the veteran is still a few weeks away from activation.
The Dodgers are likely to recall an additional bullpen arm, perhaps during this series, to help a bullpen that has seen a lot of work over the past four days in Colorado after the pitching was lit up.
As for the Angels, right-handed pitcher José Soriano was placed on the 15-day IL with abdomen infection, retroactive June 17th, and utility man Cole Tucker outrighted to Triple-A.
Infielder Brandon Drury was also activated over the past week after suffering a hamstring injury on May 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, the big blow to the Angels is Mike Trout continuing to live his days on the injured list after suffering a torn meniscus. Trout, who had surgery, reiterated to the media this past week, stating that his recovery is going slower than anticipated.
The Angels will also be without slugger Miguel Sanó due to left knee inflammation, along with other key batters such as “Hollywood Lifestyle” Anthony Rendon, who was placed on the 60-day IL on May 9th.
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