First pitch is 7:10 PM PT for the series opener at Dodger Stadium, the kickoff of a Monday-to-Wednesday interleague set between the AL East-leading Rays (40-25) and the NL West-leading Dodgers (44-25). Tampa Bay rides in on a 3-game sweep of the Red Sox; Los Angeles took 2 of 3 in Pittsburgh after dropping a wild 9-8 game on Wednesday. The bigger story for the Dodgers heading into Monday is Shohei Ohtani's left knee, which knocked him out of Thursday's game in Pittsburgh. Dave Roberts said his concern level was "not high" and that Ohtani had a strong chance to be back in the lineup Friday against the White Sox, which lines him up just fine for the Rays. The Dodgers will be without catcher Will Smith, who landed on the 10-day IL with a neck issue on Thursday. The Rays' run-prevention model is being held together with duct tape and stubbornness. Ryan Pepiot is done for the year after May hip surgery, Craig Kimbrel is still on the IL with a wrist issue (he's scheduled to throw live BP this week), and the bullpen has lost Heasley, Rodriguez, Wilson, Uceta, and Scholtens to various flavors of arm trouble. That the Rays are 40-25 anyway is the entire identity of this franchise. The Dodgers' rotation is the mirror image of that mess. Tyler Glasnow (back) and Blake Snell (elbow) are still on the 60-day, Gavin Stone can't ramp up without shoulder soreness, and Justin Wrobleski is day-to-day with a hamstring. The lineup is the lineup, but the pitching staff Dave Roberts is running out in June is not the staff anyone drew up in March. Per the Tampa Bay Times, this current Rays group is starting to look like the team that ripped off 22 wins in 26 games from late April to late May, not the 3-10 outfit that followed. If Yandy Diaz keeps swinging it the way he did against Boston — leadoff homer, clutch sac fly in the opener — Tampa's offense travels just fine. Three games at Chavez Ravine against a banged-up rotation is the kind of spot a team chasing the AL's best record wants.