sports📡 ESPNcricinfoJun 5, 2026👁 0 views

Dodgers vs. Angels Lineup: Muncy Out, Sasaki Starts

Dodgers vs. Angels Lineup: Muncy Out, Sasaki Starts

Jun 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) reacts in the on-deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images
Nelson EspinalFri, June 5, 2026 at 10:06 PM UTC·2 min read

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without their star third baseman Max Muncy on Friday, Jun 5, for the first game of the Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium.

Muncy suffered a brutal collision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, coming together after a ground ball and running down the first base line hard, trying to beat it out in the fifth inning.

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The third baseman chose to take the inside line, assuming first baseman Ildemaro Vargas would go on the outside, but the defender went in the same lane, and they had a big collision.

Dave Roberts said after Thursday’s game that Muncy will miss Friday’s game, which was already scheduled as a rest day due to his wrist issue.

Jun 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) reacts in the on-deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

With Muncy out of the picture and a lefty on the mound, Santiago Espinal slots in for a rare start, along with Alex Freeland stepping out for Miguel Rojas at second base.

Dodgers Lineup vs. Angels

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH2. Andy Pages, CF3. Freddie Freeman, 1B4. Mookie Betts, SS5. Kyle Tucker, RF6. Will Smith, C7. Alex Call, LF8. Miguel Rojas, 2B9. Santiago Espinal, 3B

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For the Dodgers to have success against lefty Reid Detmers, Mookie Betts will have to get rolling. He is ice-cold at the plate, aside from a few games when his swing has looked great.

Andy Pages should have a good game against an aggressive pitcher as well, along with Will Smith, who has started to get his bat rolling again.

However, if neither of the three righties gets going, production may need to come from the bottom, with a righty-heavy end to the batting order that should deliver some quality at-bats.

Who is pitching for the Dodgers?

The Dodgers are rolling out Roki Sasaki for the start, a pitcher who has grown in confidence massively, and he is starting to get things going.

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Sasaki is facing the Angels for the second time this season, and considering how poor they have been as a team, he is in line for a possible shutout outing, which should only further boost his confidence.