3 Angels Players Who Could Be the Difference vs. the Dodgers

Beating the two time defending World Series champions will not be easy, but the Angels have a couple of players who have excelled when playing the Dodgers. One big piece of their offense has been completely shut down by the blue outside of a walk off hit last season.

How these three produce this weekend will likely determine the Angels odds of winning the series.

Zach Neto absolutely torches the Dodgers.

Zach Neto is a player with a ton of confidence who lives for the big moment. A packed house fully of passionate fans is the type of atmosphere that brings out the best in him. Add in the opportunity to prove himself against the best team in the world and it gives Neto every incentive to excel.

In his 10 career games against the Dodgers Neto is hitting .353 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.

Last year Zach Neto was a key figure in the Angels going 6 and 0 against the Dodgers. In the August edition of the Freeway Series, he really stood out.

Neto hit a leadoff home run off Yosinobu Yamamoto then a second later in a 7-4 Angels win. Then in the same series he helped turn a triple play against Shohei Ohtani that was the defensive highlight of the Angels season. Add in a key 2 run hit in another comeback win and Neto was clearly the team's MVP against the Dodgers.

Mike Trout is great against everyone, including LA.

Angels fans love Mike Trout for a lot of reasons and his 10 home runs against their crosstown rivals is a big one. That 10 spot is obviously the current team leader in homers against the blue.

In 48 career games against LA Mike Trout is only hitting .232 but those 10 home runs and his 28 RBI are also a big part of the story.

In 2012, Trout homered and stole two bases in his first career game at Dodgers Stadium. That day helped propel the Angels to a win. His three run double in a game in 2016 propeled the Halos to another win.

One of the best center fielders of his era, Trout has helped beat the Dodgers with his glove as well. An epic home run robbery of Chris Taylor in 2022 is a staple of Trout's highlight reel. That catch and the above mentioned triple play are the two greatest defensive plays in Freeway Series history.

Jo Adell finally broke through last year and needs to contribute this season.

Trout and Neto are great players but two men can not win a baseball game. They will need help and for the most part Jo Adell has been owned by the Dodgers. But he did have a huge moment in the Freeway Series last year and he historically heats up along with the weather. Jo Adell is a big wild card in this series.

For his career against LA, Adell is hitting a miserable 1.69 with no home runs and only 4 extra base hits. The really daunting number is 29. Adell has struck out 29 times in 21 games against LA.

But last season Jo came up big with an extra inning RBI single that gave the Angels a 7-6 win. This was in the same wild game as the triple play. That game was arguably the high point of the Angels 2026 season.

If Jo Adell can carry any confidence over from that experience and help Trout and Neto, it will be a huge boost to the Angel chances.

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