Jack Kochanowicz (2-4, 5.23) draws Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-4, 2.86) at Chavez Ravine, first pitch 9:10 PM CT. Kochanowicz is coming off a 2.1-inning, 4-walk meltdown in Tampa, and he's already seen this Dodgers lineup once this year — six runs in six innings the last time out. Yamamoto, meanwhile, just punched out 10 Phillies in 5.1 scoreless on May 31.
The bigger story is the shape Yamamoto is in. He's 2-1 with a 0.93 ERA across his last three starts after a rocky April-to-mid-May stretch, and the Dodgers have rattled off 16 wins in their last 21 games. The Angels were no-hit through most of Friday's 1-0 loss to Roki Sasaki, so back-to-back nights against the Dodgers' two best arms is roughly the worst draw on the schedule.
On top of that, the Halos' lineup is being held together with tape. Jorge Soler got scratched Friday with hip tightness, Vaughn Grissom went out with a side issue, Nolan Schanuel is on a rehab assignment, and Anthony Rendon, Travis d'Arnaud and Yoan Moncada are all on the IL. That is a lot of names you'd normally pencil in, not penciled in.
- Day-To-DayJorge Soler DH — Soler was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers due to hip tightness.
- Day-To-DayVaughn Grissom 2B — Grissom was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers with left side tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySam Bachman RP — Bachman has been unavailable for the past few days due to an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Joyce (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program in Arizona, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMax Muncy 3B — Muncy passed concussion testing Thursday and has been diagnosed with a sore nose, but he will not play Friday against the Angels, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
- 10-Day-ILTeoscar Hernandez LF — Hernandez (hamstring) said Saturday that he expects to return from the injured list in about a month, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILEnrique Hernandez 1B — Hernandez is expected to be out for 6-to-8 weeks after sustaining a "significant tear" of his left oblique during Tuesday's 15-6 win over the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrock Stewart RP — Stewart faced live hitters early this past week but is still experiencing discomfort in his left foot, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Glasnow SP — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relayed Saturday that Glasnow (back) "hasn't gotten over the hump" to increase his throwing progression beyond playing catch, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Snell SP — Snell (elbow) began playing catch Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILEvan Phillips RP — Phillips (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, yielding one hit and one walk over two-thirds of a scoreless frame.
- 60-Day-ILBobby Miller SP — Miller (shoulder/back) will resume throwing off the mound this week, Cody Snavely of DodgersBeat.com reports.
The Dodgers aren't perfectly healthy either — Max Muncy is out again Saturday after passing concussion protocol (he's officially dealing with a "sore nose"), Teoscar Hernandez is on the shelf with a hamstring, and the rotation is missing Snell, Glasnow, and Gavin Stone. But when your Saturday starter is Yamamoto and your Friday starter just spun a 1-0 win, you're not exactly hurting for arms.
The market sees it clean: Dodgers -330 on the moneyline, -1.5 at -147, and a total parked at 8.5. If Kochanowicz walks the yard again like he did against the Rays, the under is in trouble fast — but Yamamoto in this form is the kind of pitcher who keeps a total in check on his own. The Angels need a leadoff base hit before the third inning just to feel alive in this one.