Game: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m.
Odds: Yankees -110, Angels -110
Total: 9
The Los Angeles Angels can’t be written off when they have a player as dangerous as Shohei Ohtani in the lineup. In the middle game of a three-game series tonight in Anaheim, California, the Angels will look to Ohtani to help them win a second straight game against the visiting New York Yankees.
On Monday night, Ohtani’s major league-leading 35th home run of the year helped Los Angeles win the first game of the series 4-3 in 10 innings. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Michael Stefanic delivered a clutch pinch-hit single with two outs to drive in the winning run after the Angels had shut out New York in the eighth, ninth, and 10th innings.
Before the comeback win, Los Angeles had lost seven of its previous eight games. Ohtani tied the game at 3-3 with his home run in the seventh inning. After the game, reporters questioned Yankees manager Aaron Boone about his choice to pitch to Ohtani in the seventh inning with a runner on first and two outs. In the fifth inning of a scoreless game, New York intentionally walked the slugger with runners on the corners and two outs.
Boone said that the guy hitting after Ohtani is .330. He decided against putting Ohtani on, which would have given the Angels runners on first and second with the game-winning run at the plate. Instead, the Yankees pitched to Ohtani who delivered with home run No. 35. It was another instance of the Yankees squandering a lead. In the Sunday rubber match against the Colorado Rockies, the Yankees squandered two late leads.
New York had leads of 3-1 and 7-5 going into the bottom of the eighth and eleventh innings on Sunday. The Yankees couldn’t hold on though and ended up losing to Colorado 8-7 in 11 innings. The Rockies have the worst record in the National League.
The Yankees blew two leads of at least two runs after the seventh inning for the first time in team history. New York is currently in last place in the American League East after losing two of its last seven games. Since losing Aaron Judge to injury, the Yankees are 15-20. They have dropped from third place in the AL East to last and are now 2.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot.
On Tuesday, the Yankees intend to start Domingo German (5-5, 4.32 ERA). Since throwing a perfect game on June 28 against the Oakland A’s, the right-hander has recorded back-to-back no-decisions. He most recently lost to the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on July 9 after giving up two runs (one earned) and one hit over the course of six innings. German has faced the Angels four times in his career, making two starts, and has a record of 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (4-7, 4.41 ERA), who has had almost two weeks off, will get the start for the Angels. He defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-0 on June 16 after tossing seven scoreless innings to earn his lone victory in his previous ten starts. In his two career starts against the Yankees, Sandoval is 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA. On April 20, he lost at Yankee Stadium after pitching four innings and allowing five runs on four hits and six walks.
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