The Los Angeles Angels surged past the defending champion Dodgers in back-to-back wins, delivering a dramatic sweep preview as they beat Los Angeles 7-4 and 7-6 in a tense two-game set. Shohei Ohtani connected for a 404-foot homer to put the Dodgers ahead in the ninth, but Jo Adell’s walk-off single in the 10th completed the Angels’ rally. Afterward, the Angels pressed their advantage late, with Connor Brogdon earning the win and Ben Casparius taking the loss.

Despite the. Angels’ recent success against the Dodgers, their playoff odds remain slim (about 1%), as they sit 9 games behind Seattle in the AL West and six outside the current wild-card picture. FanGraphs pegs their postseason chances at 1.0% through Tuesday. They’ll try to cap the series with Kyle Hendricks on the mound, aiming to stitch together a late-season surge as they chase a postseason miracle.

Stretch drive on the horizon and Sorare MLB lineups have to adapt. Upgrades ignite upside: Matthew Boyd jumps as a top pitching add with a career-best season, plus Brent Rooker and Taylor Ward provide heavy on-base and RBI potential as the Athletics and Angels trend toward late-season bursts. Holds lean into Malik-like caveats: Lawrence Butler, Jackson Holliday, and Nick Lodolo offer value with patience, while downgrades such as Ozzie Albies, Clay Holmes, and Nathaniel Lowe carry clear downside risk on short weeks. The narrative centers on park shifts, platoon splits, and the necessity to balance hot streaks with injury or matchup risk as September looms.

Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound at Angel Stadium for the Dodgers in a dramatic Freeway Series chapter, delivering 4 1/3 innings of five-hit, four-run ball with seven strikeouts, including back-to-back Trout strikeouts in a high-profile duel. He also sparked the Dodgers with a leadoff triple and a run before taking the mound, illustrating the two-way spark that has defined his career. The night featured power from Will Smith and Mookie Betts, a homer by Taylor Ward off Ohtani, and Zach Neto’s two-run double that trimmed the Dodgers’ lead, keeping Anaheim in the mix. Ohtani’s velocity touched 101 mph at times, underscoring why fantasy managers remain fascinated by his ceiling, even as innings totals are managed after his 2023 elbow injury and 2024 Dodgers return. The crowd noise reflected the enduring drama of his split with the Angels, as both ex-teammates and rival fans watched his every at-bat and pitch. The series has already showcased Ohtani’s impact as both pitcher and hitter, with Dodgers hopeful that his two-way brilliance continues to shape every lineup decision and fantasy projection.

Ohtani’s return comes after a year in which he signed a decade-long, $700 million contract with the Dodgers and resumed mound work two months ago, gradually increasing his inning count while remaining the everyday DH and leadoff hitter. The events in Anaheim—Ohtani’s early run-scoring burst, Trout’s tough-night strikeouts, and Neto’s timely hit—highlight the ongoing narrative: a player who transcends positions and defies easy fantasy categorization. As the Dodgers chase wins, Ohtani’s dual threats will keep both real-world stakes and DFS intrigue high in each future start and at-bat.

Ohtani returned to the mound at Angel Stadium as Dodgers opponent, delivering a watchable, yet imperfect start. He worked 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs while fanning seven on a season-high 80 pitches. A leadoff triple and an early Dodgers edge set the tone, with Betts driving in the first run. Neto followed with a two-run double after Ohtani exited, and Ward answered with a solo homer in the second. The plan to cap his regular-season starts to five innings remained intact, underscoring the delicate balance of workload and upside as he continues his comeback from ligament repair.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on Betts’ RBI off Ohtani’s leadoff triple, then expanded to 3-0 in the first. Ward’s long ball in the second cracked the Angels’ scoring, and Neto’s two-run double in the fourth capped Ohtani’s day on the mound. Ohtani, the reigning NL MVP, still flashed the two-way talent that makes him a daily fantasy headline, even as the innings cap and bullpen usage loom large in his fantasy value.

Preceding this appearance, Ohtani had shown progress but remained limited by elbow rehab, with a season flagged by a prior four-inning, one-run effort against St. Louis. The Angels’ own lineup had a brief spike, yet the Dodgers bullpen held firm after the early exit. Manager Dave Roberts leaned on Anthony Banda to finish the frame, preserving the bullpen for the next days in a schedule that already emphasizes cautious ramp-up.

Shohei Ohtani delivered a one-of-a-kind performance in Anaheim: a liner that triggered a triple play, then a go-ahead homer in the same game as part of a 7-6 Dodgers loss in extras. Ohtani’s 43rd homer keeps him among MLB’s leaders while the Dodgers and Padres jockey for NL West supremacy. The sequence featured Zach Neto snagging Ohtani’s sharp grounder and turning a 6-4-3-ish triple-play spark, with Angels rallying late as Jo Adell plated the decisive run off a Taylor Ward ghost-runner.

Dodgers- Padres remains a central storyline as LA looks to rebound with a key series against San Diego. Ohtani’s high-end production amid the chaotic finish underscored his ongoing value, not only in fantasy lineups but in the broader dynamic of a division race that may hinge on late-season contributions from both clubs. The Angels, buoyed by Neto, Adell, Ward and Rengifo, showed they can turn a moment into momentum, while LA’s next two starts figure to be pivotal for the pennant chase.