Dodgers, Angels bring slumping June offenses into interleague matchup

The Dodgers and Angels meet up in a short interleague series at Dodger Stadium, a matchup that has lost quite a bit of luster over the last few weeks.

We’ve seen one end of it, with the Dodgers coming off getting swept in San Francisco and losers of nine of their last 13 games. But to the Angels, such a stretch would be an amazing success considering how they’ve played of late.

The team from Anaheim lost a franchise-record 14 games in a row, the first dozen of those losses coming under Joe Maddon, who was trimmed from the coaching roster just after getting a trim of his own. The Angels are 2-4 under Phil Nevin, now on their first road trip under the new manager, even if this first leg involves only a bus ride on Interstate 5.

Offense has been a problem for both teams recently. Both teams scored 11 runs in a win last week, but were also shut out twice. In the games they didn’t score 11, the Angels plated 14 runs in six games, the Dodgers just 10 runs in five games.

This is the first of two two-game series between the Dodgers and Angels this series. They will meet again on July 15-16 in Anaheim, the final weekend before the All-Star break, one with an extremely rare Sunday off day.

What the universal designated hitter brings us in this series is the opportunity to see Shohei Ohtani more than just one at-bat per game in a National League park. Ohtani has played 11 times at Dodger Stadium, but his only two previous starts came in 2020, a year in which the NL also had the DH.

Ohtani enters on an eight-game hitting streak, with home runs in two of his last three games. He’s hitting .255/.333/.476 with 13 home runs, 12 doubles, and a 129 wRC+ on the season. He won’t be pitching during this two-game set, but here’s who will be on the mound.

Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.

SportsNet LA, Bally Sports West, TBS (out of market only)

Tony Gonsolin has been everything so far for the Dodgers, his 1.58 ERA through 11 starts second-best in the majors among those with at least 50 innings, trailing only San Diego right-hander Joe Musgrove (1.50). Gonsolin has been even stingier at home, allowing three runs in five starts.

Noah Syndergaard has been up and down for the last month or so, alternating getting hit around with allowing only one run in a start. He has a 3.69 ERA in nine starts this season, but a career-low 15.4-percent strikeout rate that ranks 114th among the 123 major league pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.

The national TBS broadcast, which isn’t available locally, will be called by Don Orsillo and Jeff Francoeur, along with reporter Heidi Watney.

Wednesday, 7:10 p.m.

SportsNet LA, Bally Sports West, MLB Network (out of market only)

Given the events of the last week, Tyler Anderson went from a nice story as an extra arm to an indispensable piece of the Dodgers starting rotation. His three-plus innings last Thursday ended a string of five straight starts lasting at least six innings.

For all the folks clamoring for a 2020 first-round pick out of Louisville to take the mound at Dodger Stadium, you get your wish in the series finale with left-hander Reid Detmers pitching for the Angels. Detmers pitched a no-hitter on May 10 in Anaheim, but then struggled in back-to-back starts against Texas. In both June starts, Detmers recorded 13 outs and allowed no runs.