In the middle of a run of alternating series against top playoff contenders and teams running down the clock on the 2025 MLB regular season, the Dodgers take a quick trip up the freeway to play the Los Angeles Angels for three games, the first of them with ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.
Pitching on the road is something Yamamoto has grown accustomed to over the last few weeks. Four of Yamamoto’s previous five starts have all come away from Dodger Stadium, the latest of which entailed 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in a win against the Rays.
Advertisement
Yamamoto, who has allowed only one home run since the start of July, will look to keep the Angels in the ballpark, which is a particular key point in limiting their output. Now, it’s obviously true that for most teams, limiting homers is a massive step towards success, but the reliance on the long ball can vary from one club to another. The Dodgers and Angels actually present a nice comparison as polar opposites in that department this season.
At the start of play on Monday, eight MLB teams have more than 150 home runs this season, with the Dodgers ranking 2nd (175) and the Angels fourth (169). Out of all those teams, the Dodgers are averaging the most runs per game (5.18) and the Angels the fewest (4.36). In fact, that 4.36 mark from the Angels means that they’re the only one of these eight teams with a run-scoring output below the league average (4.42 per game). It’s a very boom-or-bust approach from Ron Washington’s team, often resulting in the latter, as no team has struck out more times in 2025.
With the benefit of extra rest, having last pitched eight days ago, Yamamoto will have as good a chance as any to match his career-high in strikeouts (10) in the US, a mark he’s achieved twice this season.
Monday game info
Ballpark: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)