Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants (32-26) will go for a three-game sweep on Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers (37-22). The season series is now tied 2-2, after the Giants won 3-2 on Saturday.
Dodgers fall in Kershaw’s return
After missing a little more than a month, Clayton Kershaw returned to the Dodgers on Saturday and took the loss allowing two runs in four innings. The Dodgers collected 13 hits but only managed to put two runs on the board. They went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base.
The Dodgers are first in MLB scoring 5.4 runs per game, and 10th hitting 1.22 home runs per game. They are second allowing just 3.4 runs per game, and third limiting the opposition to a .220 batting average. Los Angeles has four players with more than 30 RBI, led by Trea Turner with 46 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Mookie Betts leads the team with 16 home runs.
Julio Urias (3-5. 2.78 ERA) will start for the Dodgers. He is 2-3 with a 2.40 ERA in six road starts this season. In 21 career appearances against the Giants, Urias is 3-3 with a 2.41 ERA.
Giants go for sweep
San Francisco has won three of its last four games, after holding on Saturday. Thairo Estrada led the way with a two-run home run in the second inning. The Giants’ third run came by way of a wild pitch in the eighth inning.
The Giants are third scoring 5.1 runs per game, and ninth with 1.20 home runs hit per game. They have allowed 4.5 runs per game, and are 25th with a .254 opponents batting average. Joc Pederson is first on the team with 13 home runs and second with 32 RBI. Wilmer Flores leads the Giants with 33 RBI.
Carlos Rodon (4-4, 3.51 ERA) will start on Sunday. In five home starts he is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Rodon has faced the Dodgers three times in his career and is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Two of those starts came in 2017, but he held Los Angeles to two runs in six innings on May 3.
Los Angeles has the most complete offense in the National League, and the bullpen is ninth with a 3.56 bullpen ERA. The Giants have lost nine of their last 12 games as an underdog, and the bullpen is 22nd with a 4.26 ERA. I expect another tight game on Sunday, but it’s hard to see the Dodgers squandered so many scoring opportunities again and getting swept by their division rival. I will take the Dodgers who have won 11 of their last 14 road games against a left-handed starter.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers ML
Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners
A pair of teams from the American League finish up a series on the diamond up in the Pacific Northwest in search of a victory. The Boston Red Sox are on the road as they finish up a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners Sunday afternoon. In the opening game of the series Friday night, it was the Red Sox who scratched out a 4-3 victory in order to draw out first blood between the teams. Which team gets the upper hand on getaway day and carries positive momentum into the new week?
Red Sox Seeking to Maintain Recent Surge
Boston won for the eighth time in nine games as they held off the Mariners in the opening game of this series on Friday night. The Red Sox entered Sunday fourth in the AL East, 21.5 games behind the Yankees for the top spot in the division. On Friday night, Boston finished with six hits with Bobby Dalbec (run, RBI) the lone player with two in the victory. Dalbec (his fourth) and J.D. Martinez (his sixth) each homered in the victory with Dalbec’s blast in the seventh inning breaking a 2-2 tie. Rich Hill didn’t factor in the decision as he threw 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Jake Diekman (2-0) threw a scoreless sixth, allowing no hits with one walk and one strikeout, to earn the win. Tanner Houck worked the ninth, allowing one hit with no walks and two strikeouts, to earn his first save.
The Red Sox have yet to officially name a starting pitcher for this contest with Garrett Whitlock on the IL but due to situations, it may well be Kutter Crawford logging his ninth appearance and first start of the season here. He has a 1-1 record, an 8.44 ERA, a 2.156 WHIP, eight walks and 14 strikeouts over 10.2 innings of work this season. Crawford didn’t factor in the decision in his last appearance at the major league level, which came May 13 against the Rangers on the road. He threw two innings, allowing no runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in a 7-1 Boston triumph. In what would be his 10th career major league appearance and second start, Crawford faces the Mariners for the first time. As a result, this marks his first career appearance at T-Mobile Park. In the minors this season, Crawford has no record, a 7.43 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP, three walks and 11 strikeouts over 13.1 innings of work in four appearances, three starts, with Triple-A Worcester of the International League.
Mariners Trying to Put Things Together
Seattle had high expectations entering the season but has disappointed to this stage of the year as they lost for the second time in three games on Friday. The Mariners entered Sunday fourth in the AL West, nine games behind the Astros for the top spot in the division race. Against Boston, Seattle got two hits each from Ty France and Luis Torrens (run) while Jesse Winker hit his fourth homer of the season only to fall short. Marco Gonzales didn’t factor in the decision as he threw 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with six walks and four strikeouts. Andres Munoz (1-3) took the loss as he allowed two runs on two hits with no walks or strikeouts in one inning of relief.
Robbie Ray is on the hill as he makes his 13th start of the season for the Mariners in this contest. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is 5-6 with a 4.97 ERA, a 1.316 WHIP, 27 walks and 77 strikeouts over 70.2 innings of work this season. Ray earned the win in his last start, which came Monday on the road against the Astros. He threw five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a game the Mariners won 7-4. In his last three starts, Ray is 1-2 with a 5.62 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP, seven walks and 19 strikeouts over 16 innings of work. Ray makes his eighth career appearance and seventh start against the Red Sox here. He is 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA, a 1.248 WHIP, 14 walks and 41 strikeouts over 33.2 innings of work against them. Ray is 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA, a 1.015 WHIP, nine walks and 50 strikeouts over 44.1 innings of work in seven career starts at T-Mobile Park.
Ray was roughed up in his first start against Boston this season, which came last month at Fenway Park. In that outing, he gave up four runs on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over six innings in a 7-3 Seattle loss. With that in mind, the fact remains that the Red Sox are going with Crawford, who has struggled both in the majors and the minors this season, or a complete bullpen day. That can take a toll on a pitching staff as it can be a challenge to try and patch together enough arms to get 27 outs. Taking that into consideration, give the slight edge to the Mariners as they scratch out a victory in this contest.
Prediction: Seattle Mariners ML
New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Angels
Interleague foes will finish a three-game set on Sunday night when the New York Mets take on the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The Mets won the series opener 7-3 on Friday night as a -137 favorite, while the Angels won game 2 11-6. New York has the best record in the NL at 39-22, while the Angels are 29-32.
These teams haven’t met since 2017, when the Mets took two of three in Queens to even up the all-time series at nine wins apiece heading into this series.
Mets look to bounce back from rare series loss
The Mets have been one of baseball’s most consistent teams, and after getting outscored 20-2 in the last two games of the series against the San Diego Padres earlier this week, got back on track quickly by handling the Angels on Friday. Tomas Nido opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second before Mark Canha capped the frame with a two-run double, while Brandon Nimmo later added both a solo shot and two-run double.
Starter Tylor Megill only went 3.1 innings in his return from the IL, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four. Drew Peterson earned the win in relief by allowing one run over 2.2 innings. Canha finished 2-4 with a double, a walk and three RBI.
“We’re really excited about it. But in the meantime, we’ll just keep our nose to the ground, keep trying to grind, and keep trying to put some wins together,” Nimmo said about the rotation starting to get healthier via MLB.com.
The Mets got spanked on Saturday though, losing 11-6 to the Angels. The Mets are still one of the most profitable teams in baseball on the money line for the season while going 36-24 on the run line. Overs are 31-25-4 for the Mets, and only one of their last six games has gone under the betting total.
This is the second-highest scoring offense in baseball at 5.1 runs per game on a .741 OPS that is also in the top five. New York pitching has slipped some lately and is now around mid-pack with a 3.93 collective ERA, including a mark of 3.64 from the bullpen.
Jeff McNeil is having a stellar season at the plate overall, batting .318/.370/.444 with 28 RBI and 28 runs scored. Francisco Lindor is New York’s most valuable player overall with 2.3 WAR, racking up nine homers, eight stolen bases and 45 RBI.
Taijuan Walker will make his 10th start of the season, hoping to bounce back from a loss to the Padres last Tuesday when he allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four across six innings. The 29-year-old is generally having a good season, going 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA across 46.2 innings overall.
The injuries keep on coming for the Mets, and two of their best hitters in Pete Alonso (quad) both getting hurt earlier in the week. They aren’t on the IL for now but also haven’t been playing, while catcher James McCann (hamate surgery) and Travis Jankowski (hand surgery) are also sidelined. The rotation is missing its two superstars with Jacob deGrom (scapula) and Max Scherzer (strained oblique) sidelined, along with Joey Lucchesi (Tommy John surgery). Relievers John Curtiss (Tommy John surgery), Trevor May (stress reaction in arm) and Sean Reid-Foley (Tommy John surgery) round out the Mets IL.
Angels hope to avoid another losing streak
The nightmare for the Angels is finally over as they managed to snap a 14-game losing streak by beating the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, but the celebration was short-lived with the loss to the Mets the following night. Brandon Marsh launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to get Los Angeles on the board before going deep again in the sixth, yet nobody else on the offense was able to get going.
Rookie Jhonathan Diaz suffered his first career loss, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one in just 1.2 innings of work. Marsh finished with three hits overall, while Jared Walsh and Jo Adell also enjoyed multi-hit games.
“The home run in the second that gets us back in it was huge,” said interim manager Phil Nevin via MLB.com. “But for me, watching him get that swing off against the lefty, the home run he hit there in the sixth … that was promising for me. He’s had some stuff with some lefties, and to get that swing off there was really good.”
The Angels bounced back Saturday with a solid 110-6 win, however, to get back on track. The Angels are now down a huge amount on the money line for the season with the recent skid while going 29-30 on the run line. Overs are 26-27-6 for Los Angeles, with three of its last four games going under the betting total following a run of overs.
Los Angeles’ offense has slowed way down during the recent stretch and is now right around league average overall at 4.44 runs per game on a .714 OPS. The pitching staff is also mid-pack with a 3.92 collective ERA including a mark of 4.26 from the bullpen.
Superstar Mike Trout, who has been hobbled by a groin injury this week but is expected back Saturday, is having another incredible season with a .989 OPS, 14 homers and 30 RBI. Shohei Ohtani hasn’t hit as well as in his 2021 MVP campaign, but still has a strong .778 OPS, 12 homers, seven stolen bases, 34 RBI and 38 runs scored.
Patrick Sandoval will be on the mound for the 10th time this season, looking to continue a promising campaign as he’s 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA over 48 innings so far. The 25-year-old went 4.2 innings against the Phillies last Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four.
Outfielder Taylor Ward, who had emerged out of nowhere to be the best hitter in baseball this season, is on the IL with a strained hamstring, while shortstop David Fletcher will miss significant time due to adductor surgery. Starting pitchers Griffin Canning (back discomfort), Cooper Criswell (shoulder soreness) and Chris Rodriguez (shoulder surgery) are on the IL. Reliever Austin Warren is recovering from nasal fracture surgery. Utilityman Luis Rengifo is on the paternity list.
The Angels aren’t nearly as bad as the recent skid would indicate, but face a really tough challenge against one of the best teams in baseball here, and the Mets offense is going to be tough to stop. While New York’s pitching has faltered lately due to some injuries, Walker has remained steady, and the Angels lineup just isn’t firing on all cylinders right now.
Walker has a decent 85 ERA- / 1oo FIP- for the season, which is nothing flashy but good enough to win based on how strong the Mets are in other facets. Sandoval is capable enough to keep up for a few innings, but the Angels bullpen has fallen into the bottom 10 in ERA for the season with a miserable mark of 5.43 over the last two weeks
The Mets are currently second in baseball with a 115 wRC+, and while the injury situation isn’t great right now, this lineup has proven it has enough depth to overcome. With a significantly better bullpen and lineup right now, the Mets will pick up another win over the free falling Angels.
Prediction: Mets ML
