Angels vs Dodgers Pick: Kershaw Makes His Return (May 17)

• Our Angels vs Dodgers pick analyzes the battle between the two Los Angeles-area teams
• The clubs are on opposing ends of the spectrum, with the Angels in last place in the AL West and the Dodgers the defending World Series champs and in 1st place in the NL West
• The Angels send their best starter, Ty Anderson, to the mound
• Clayton Kershaw makes his first start of 2025 for the Dodgers

Angels’ Anderson Faces His Former Dodgers Teammates

Ty Anderson has been the Angels’ best pitcher in 2025 by a large margin. The 35-year-old lefty has already accrued a 1.8 bWAR. He has a 2.58 ERA in 45.1 innings, surrendering 31 hits and 13 earned runs. Anderson pitched for the Dodgers in 2022 and was an All-Star with a 3.9 bWAR in 30 starts.

Against Anderson, Mookie Betts is 2 for 7 with a double and a home run. Michael Conforto is 3 for 5 with a double. Freddie Freeman is 2 for 10 with a triple and a home run. Kikè Hernandez is 8 for 35 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 2 home runs. Max Muncy is 3 for 9 with 2 homers. Shohei Ohtani is 4 for 7 with 3 triples and a home run.

The Angels’ hitting has been awful all season, though they do hit for power. Mike Trout is a shadow of what he was, but still hits the ball out of the park and has an OPS of over .700.

Kershaw Makes His 1st Start of 2025

Clayton Kershaw is returning to MLB action after having surgery on his left knee and big toe during the offseason. He was limited to 7 starts in 2024 and was not on the postseason roster. He was a fraction of what he was in his prime, posting a negative WAR with a 4.50 ERA.

The Dodgers run their team in a way where they can find use for a fading star like Kershaw, but at this point, he’s getting severance contracts when if it was anyone else, the team would have let him walk or told him to retire.

His history against the Angels is irrelevant because he’s no longer the same pitcher and never will be.

While Aaron Judge is deservedly getting the attention for his across-the-board offensive prowess, Freeman is leading the NL in hitting, on-base percentage, OPS, OPS+, and several other categories. Ohtani is tied for the major league lead in home runs.

Angels vs Dodgers Pick: The Dodgers Will Beat Their LA Rivals

Kershaw should not be expected to throw more than 3-4 innings and perhaps 60 pitches. Fortunately for the Dodgers, he is not a necessity to defend their title. They will have their bullpen ready to take over for Kershaw. Although Anderson has been excellent this season, the Dodgers have handled him well in the past. They will win the game going away.