First pitch is 3:10 PM CT at Dodger Stadium, and the Angels send José Soriano (6-4, 2.72) at Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 4.50) hoping to salvage one game out of this weekend. Pinnacle has the Dodgers at -201, which feels about right given the Halos have scored a combined 2 runs across the first two games of the series.
Soriano has the shiny ERA and 85 strikeouts in 76 innings, but he also leads the majors in walks and just put up a delightful 7-walk, 4.2-inning no-decision against the Rockies in his last start. The stuff is real. The strike-throwing is a coin flip. Against a Dodgers lineup that just hung 9 on this Angels staff yesterday, that combination is a tightrope walk.
Sheehan, meanwhile, has quietly settled in — he's allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts, including a 6.1-inning, 2-ER loss to Arizona on June 1 where he didn't issue a single walk. The ERA still says 4.50, but the recent version of Sheehan has been a perfectly fine 4th starter, which is all the Dodgers really need him to be on a Sunday.
The Angels' bigger problem isn't really the pitching matchup, it's that the lineup is being held together with tape. Jorge Soler is on the IL with an oblique, Vaughn Grissom is dealing with side tightness, and Travis d'Arnaud still has no timetable to return. The Dodgers aren't exactly whole either — Teoscar Hernández is out a month with a hamstring and Kiké Hernández is looking at 6-to-8 weeks — but at 42-23 they can absorb it.
- 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-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Soler DH — The Angels placed Soler (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Saturday (retroactive to June 4).
- 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-DayWill Smith C — Smith is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks.
- 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 (foot) threw to live hitters Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
- 60-Day-ILTyler Glasnow SP — The Dodgers transferred Glasnow (back) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
- 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 total sits at 8.5 with the under shaded to -116, which makes sense if you watched yesterday and assume Sheehan can replicate his recent form. The path to an Angels cover is Soriano carving up a Will Smith-less Dodgers lineup early and the bullpen actually holding a lead, which is asking a lot from a club that's now 24-41. The path to another Dodgers laugher is, well, Saturday on repeat.