A powerhouse showdown and a pair of intriguing young rosters take center stage Monday night, exclusively on ESPN.
The Dodgers travel to Citizens Bank Park to begin a three-game series with the surging Phillies, while the surprising Cardinals finish a West Coast trip with three games against the Angels.
Here’s what to know for each matchup.
Dodgers (63-37) at Phillies (55-45), 7:10 p.m. ET
Los Angeles, which dispatched the Phillies in the NLDS last year en route to their second straight title, owns the best record in the game this season. But since starting 9-19 and firing manager Rob Thomson on April 28, Philadelphia has soared to MLB’s second-best record at 46-26. It’s the second meeting this year between the NL titans, after the Dodgers took two of three in L.A. to close out May.
Much of the Phillies’ success has come on the back of a star-studded rotation, including lefty Cristopher Sánchez, who takes the mound Monday for the first time since starting last week’s All-Star Game. Sánchez’s 11-4 record and 2.62 ERA have him squarely in the NL Cy Young race. Meanwhile, the Philly offense — which will surely look to add at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline — has been boosted by Kyle Schwarber and his MLB-best 33 home runs.
The Dodgers have young righty Emmet Sheehan scheduled to pitch opposite Sánchez. Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) has allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his past three starts. The potent L.A. offense has scored MLB’s third-most runs this year, with a red-hot Shohei Ohtani (four homers, 10 RBIs in July) leading the charge.
Cardinals (51-47) at Angels (39-61), 10:10 p.m. ET
After seemingly positioning themselves for a rebuild this offseason, the upstart Cardinals — led by breakout star Jordan Walker — are in a virtual three-way tie for the third NL Wild Card spot. Walker, a first-time All-Star and Home Run Derby winner, has picked up a hit in all three games out of the break and owns a 10-game hitting streak overall.
Monday’s game will kick off a crucial stretch for St. Louis in determining its Trade Deadline plans. Right-hander Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.73 ERA) is scheduled to start in L.A.
The Angels, on the other hand, will hope to see continued growth from young players as they use the rest of this year to build for the future. Those young players include Monday’s starting pitcher, José Soriano. The 27-year-old righty has cooled after an untouchable start to the year, but a 3.49 ERA in 20 starts still pairs well with a 24.7% strikeout rate.
