Biggest Angels vs Dodgers Storylines to Keep an Eye on During Freeway Series: Ohtani Recruitment & More
The Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers are meeting for the first time in the 2023 season at Angels Stadium and they are both in the midst of some very interesting stretches. The Halos have been able to stay afloat and win seven out of their last 10 games while the Dodgers are coming off a series in which they were swept by a red-hot Giants squad.
But they are still the Dodgers at the end of the day and even though they're experiencing their own struggles right now, they still boast some of the biggest names in baseball in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and have a 13-3 record over Anaheim since 2020.
However, with the way that Shohei Ohtani is performing and the way that many rotational players have stepped up recently, it's not going to be so easy this time. Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the biggest storylines heading into this freeway series!
Dodgers Auditioning For Shohei Ohtani
Even though we are weeks away from their second freeway series of 2023, everybody should still be keeping an eye out for any sort of recruitment going on these next couple of days by the Dodgers organization and fans. Expect plenty of blue jerseys with his name on the back, a flurry of questions asking Dave Roberts what he thinks about him as a player, and many people reminiscing on when Ohtani first entered the league and almost joined the Dodgers.
Dodgers' expert Doug McKain already started this not too long ago.
Ohtani definitely will not reveal this but he is going to be watching the Dodgers closely to see how they operate. It is the smart for him to do so as it's no secret that they want to add him to their squad in free agency and he has to look out for his own future.
Therefore, this is one of the most important series in which the Angels must not only win, but make a statement to go with their win.
Mound Battles
It is safe to say that the Dodgers will likely live or die by their pitching staff for the rest of their season and with Julio Urias and Dustin May still sidelined with injury, they've had to look to some unexpected names for help this season more times than they initially expected.
Top prospect Bobby Miller had an electric start to his professional career but came back down to earth when he allowed seven runs to the Giants on Saturday. Emmet Sheehan was also recently called up and he pitched a scoreless debut but he's also very green as well.
As of right now, we only know that Clayton Kershaw will take the mound on Tuesday against Reid Detmers. Detmers has had an up and down season thus far but is coming off of a nice outing against the Rangers where he only allowed three hits and one run. Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for the Halos on Wednesday.
Is Mike Trout Back?
This may just end up being the most important storyline on here as the Angels have had an electric month of June and have been able to win four straight series despite Mike Trout hitting just .179 and posting an OPS of .669 over 16 games.
The likes of Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak and Brandon Drury have all been stepping up big time for LA as they contribute to Shohei Ohtani's dominance but like I said, this is a Dodgers squad that can heat up in a frenzy. Freddie Freeman won player of the month in May and even though he's not performing up to the same levels right now, that could all change.
Trout had his best game in weeks on Sunday and finally went two for three at the plate in their final win over the Royals. Let's hope he's ready for the Boys in Blue.
