Sunday, June 21 closes out the weekend set at Chavez Ravine with a 1:10 PM PT first pitch, and the pitching matchup tells you most of what you need to know: Emmet Sheehan for the Dodgers against Brandon Young for the Orioles. Sheehan is sitting on a 4.70 ERA and is coming off a 1.1-inning, 2-run nightmare against the Angels that he himself called frustrating. Young, meanwhile, has quietly been Baltimore's most reliable arm — second on the staff in WAR with a 3.43 road ERA — though he just coughed up 15 runs across his last 8 innings, so the version that shows up matters.
The Orioles are 35-40 and have lost 5 of their last 7 against actual contenders, with the rotation as the headline problem. Their staff is running a 6.00 ERA on the road in the first 3 innings, which is the exact spot where Dodger Stadium tends to put a game on ice early. Baltimore is also short Chris Bassitt, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and Zach Eflin from that rotation — Young is basically the only pillar standing — and Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg are still out of the lineup.
Los Angeles is 48-27 and just took 3 of 4 from Tampa Bay, including a 1-0 grinder and back-to-back wins in a Tuesday doubleheader-style stretch. The bigger story is the walking-wounded list around Shohei Ohtani: imaging on his left knee came back clean after he exited in Pittsburgh, but Dave Roberts has said the knee is balky when he throws and the team is being mindful of running him. He's expected in the lineup this weekend, just don't expect a green light on the basepaths.
- Day-To-DayJhonkensy Noel RF — Noel was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Norfolk on Monday with left wrist inflammation, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayLevi Wells P — Wells underwent successful core-muscle surgery Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP — no
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 10-Day-ILDylan Beavers RF — Beavers (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Chesapeake on Thursday, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Bassitt SP — Bassitt (back) received a facet injection to his lower back Friday, and he's set to begin his throwing progression, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich SP — Povich (elbow) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Chesapeake this week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDean Kremer SP — Kremer (quadriceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk this week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayChris Campos SP
- 10-Day-ILTeoscar Hernandez LF — Hernandez (hamstring) will take live batting practice Thursday and could be ready to begin a rehab assignment early next week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Smith C — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that it's "unlikely" Smith (neck) will be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday when first eligible, 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) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Ontario on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILTyler Glasnow SP — Glasnow (back) has yet to resume throwing, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILEdwin Diaz RP — Diaz (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Snell SP — Snell (elbow) began playing catch Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Beyond Ohtani, Will Smith (neck) is still on the 10-day IL and Roberts already telegraphed it's "unlikely" he comes back at first eligibility. Teoscar Hernandez is getting close — live BP this week with a rehab assignment lining up — but he isn't walking through the door for Sunday's finale. That keeps the bottom of the LA order a little softer than usual, which gives Young a real path to keeping this competitive if his command shows up.
The angle for Baltimore is simple: steal a game with a starter who can grind, hope the Dodgers' bullpen gives something back in a getaway-day spot, and get on the plane. The angle for Los Angeles is to bury Sheehan's recent stink line under a big early frame against a road rotation that doesn't survive the first 3 innings. Pick your side, but don't pick it because the matchup is murky — it isn't.