Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers will continue their six-game road trip from Phoenix, Arizona, back to Southern California, where they will take on the Los Angeles Angels in a short two-game series to kick off the regular season Freeway Series.
The Dodgers are firing on all cylinders as we enter September. They are fresh off taking a massive four-game series against their National League West rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers currently hold the third-best record since the start of the second half after the all-star break, at 27-14, just below the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
Over their last twenty games, the Dodgers have won fourteen, and over their last ten, they have won eight of those games. They also won seven of their nine games last homestand and took three of four against the Diamondbacks this past weekend.
The Angels are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in recent franchise history, a year after losing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and having eleven-time all-star Mike Trout out essentially the whole season due to injury.
According to FanGraphs, the Halos are on pace for only sixty-eight wins. They are currently 17.5 games back in the American League West from the first-place Houston Astros and are currently in last place with a 57-80 record.
The Angels’ last twenty games have been more of the same, with only six wins in that span and only three wins over their last ten.
However, this series will be huge for both clubs despite the Angels’ poor performance. The Angels will welcome back Ohtani, who will face his former team as a visitor for the first time in the regular season.
When Asked by Los Angeles Times beat writer Jack Harris if he (Ohtani) was surprised the Angels didn’t offer or match what other teams were willing to offer and, if they had would he still be an Angel, the two-way star had this to say:
Regarding that, nothing in particular. I think other teams, including the Dodgers, evaluated me highly. Rather than think about what the Angels did or didn’t do, I’m grateful for the teams that evaluated me highly; In reality, I wasn’t made an offer, so I can’t say. In reality, I’m doing my best with this team, and I’m doing my best with the goal of winning the World Series. I think I’m fine with that.
In their spring training meeting at Angel Stadium, Ohtani was greeted with a video tribute and a mix of boos and cheers, so with the teams meeting so late in the regular season, it will be interesting to see the reaction when he steps in the batter’s box to leadoff the game tonight.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Walker Buehler (1-4, 5.88 ERA) vs Reid Detmers (LHP)(3-6, 6.14 ERA)
Game Two: Bobby Miller (2-3, 7.25 ERA) vs Griffin Canning (4-12, 5.19 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 6:38 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports West, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Game Two: 6:38 PM PT, SNLA, Bally Sports West
Who’s in & who’s out?
Offensively, the Los Angeles Dodgers are at full strength, having added key contributors such as Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, and Tommy Edman back off the injured list last month.
While they have lost some bats, such as Jason Heyward, who was DFA’d by the club two weeks ago, the Dodgers feel comfortable with their current depth, including recalling former top prospect Andy Pages from Triple-A once rosters expanded on September 1st.
However, on the pitching side, things have recently gotten hairy for the Dodgers.
For starters, right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow is still out dealing with a right elbow issue. For a moment, the Dodgers did not know if he would be built up in time for October.
Glasnow resumed throwing this past Friday and spoke with the media afterward, stating that he believes he will be able to return before the regular season ends and pitch in the postseason.
Right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been out since mid-June with a shoulder injury, has begun his minor league rehab assignment. He has pitched two innings, allowing one run and striking out two batters.
Yamamoto’s next start will be tonight with Triple-A OKC after throwing a successful bullpen on Sunday.
Right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol has made great progress from a grade-one hamstring strain that he suffered in his 2024 regular season debut against the Phillies last month. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, he could rejoin the Dodgers as soon as this Friday and will also pitch alongside Yamamoto on Tuesday in Triple-A OKC.
With rosters expanding in September, the Dodgers have made a flurry of moves during their four-game series against the Diamondbacks, particularly in the pitching department. They have shuffled through arms such as lefty Justin Wrobleski, righties Michael Peterson, Ben Casparius, and Michael Grove, and added Andy Pages on offense.
Pages was sent down to Triple-A once multiple players returned from the injured list, and since the rookie had minor league options remaining, he was the player to bite the bullet. Andy Pages had a .290/.389/.548 slash line with a .937 OPS in August and has been excellent against left-handed pitching this season, hitting .337/.383/.488 and having a 144 wRC+.
For the Angels they have recalled left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers from Triple-A Salt Lake and will start the Tuesday opener of this series. The left-hander was expected to be one of the club’s best pitchers this season but posted a 6.14 ERA in twelve starts before being sent down to the Minors. He had a 5.54 ERA in fourteen starts in Salt Lake but had a 1.29 ERA with 29 strikeouts in twenty-one innings over his last three outings to earn a promotion.
The Angels have also been hit hard in the pitching department, missing right-handed pitchers José Soriano (right arm fatigue) and Carson Fulmer (right elbow inflammation), along with veteran lefty Matt Moore (left forearm strain).
Also missing from the Angels is three-time American League Most Valuable Player Mike Trout, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
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