Los Angeles Angels (49-50, fourth in the AL West) vs. New York Mets (56-44, second in the NL East)

New York; Monday, 7:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Angels: Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 82 strikeouts); Mets: Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 74 strikeouts)

Mets -193, Angels +159; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets host the Los Angeles Angels to begin a three-game series.

New York has a 34-16 record in home games and a 56-44 record overall. The Mets are 35-7 in games when they scored at least five runs.

Los Angeles is 49-50 overall and 25-27 on the road. Angels hitters have a collective .304 on-base percentage, the 10th-ranked percentage in the AL.

Monday’s game is the first time these teams meet this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Pete Alonso has 26 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs and 77 RBI while hitting .275 for the Mets. Brandon Nimmo is 11 for 36 with two doubles over the last 10 games.

Taylor Ward has 24 doubles, two triples and 23 home runs for the Angels. Zach Neto is 17 for 45 with three doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Mets: 4-6, .224 batting average, 4.19 ERA, outscored by seven runs

Angels: 6-4, .293 batting average, 6.37 ERA, outscored by 10 runs

INJURIES: Mets: Pete Alonso: day-to-day (hand), Jesse Winker: 10-Day IL (back), Starling Marte: 10-Day IL (knee), Tylor Megill: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Butto: 15-Day IL (illness), Dedniel Nunez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Paul Blackburn: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Griffin Canning: 60-Day IL (achilles), Jose Siri: 60-Day IL (shin), Max Kranick: 15-Day IL (elbow), Danny Young: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Minter: 60-Day IL (lat), Nick Madrigal: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christian Scott: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Angels: Nolan Schanuel: day-to-day (wrist), Hunter Strickland: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Christian Moore: 10-Day IL (thumb), Chris Taylor: 10-Day IL (hand), Robert Stephenson: 15-Day IL (biceps), Ben Joyce: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Anthony Rendon: 60-Day IL (hip)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

On the heels of a promising first half of the season, the Los Angeles Angels will open a six game road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies to begin their second half of the season.

The Angels will be tasked with a competitive stretch with the trade deadline looming at the end of July. They face the New York Mets on the road after the Phillies, just before hosting division rivals, the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, to conclude July.

This upcoming stretch will be especially crucial as the calendar turns to August, as their performance will likely determine whether the team buys or sells at the trade deadline. If they were to lean towards selling, the Angels offer a plethora of expiring contracts that could see the trade market.

However, the Angels have surprisingly remained in striking distance of an American League Wild Card over the recent month. As of the All Star break, the team sits four games back of a Wild Card spot with a record of 47-49.

SERIES PROBABLE PITCHERS

FRIDAY:

LAA: RHP Jose Soriano (6-7, 3.90 ERA, 98 K’s)

PHI: LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.14 ERA, 122 K’s)

SATURDAY:

LAA: LHP Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA, 82 K’s)

PHI: RHP Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.55 ERA, 49 K’s)

SUNDAY:

LAA: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-6, 3.11 ERA, 115 K’s)

PHI: LHP Ranger Suarez (7-3, 2.15 ERA, 78 K’s)

TEAM PREVIEW

Angels: In their first steps towards proving their contention abilities, the team will be tasked with facing a strong Phillies rotation to open the second half. To their luck, Los Angeles will be fortunate to avoid Phillies All Star RHP Zack Wheeler and LHP Christopher Sanchez, who has logged a 2.50 ERA this season.

Prior to the break, the Angels went 4-3 in a seven game homestand to close off a solid stretch. They scored a total of 17 runs in their series win against the Diamondbacks to close the first half.

Kikuchi, the lone Angel to be selected to the All Star game, is slated to pitch on Sunday against a Phillies squad that has had a lot of success against lefties.

Second baseman Christian Moore will remain on the injured list with a sprained left thumb until early August. The rookie has had a couple of statement moments, including a walk-off home run, in his first 18 career games.

Phillies: The Phillies are coming off a rough trip on the west coast, where they lost back-to-back series to the Giants and Padres to end the first half.

Bryce Harper recently made his return from injury in early July. He has a .308 batting average over his last seven games, hitting his first home run since his return in San Francisco on July 9th.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jose Soriano limited Philadelphia to two runs in seven innings, Taylor Ward had a three-run double and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Phillies 8-2 on Sunday for a series victory.

Soriano (7-7) allowed six hits and struck out five. He was touched for a run in the second inning on an RBI single by Rafael Marchan, and the Phillies mustered little else until Otto Kemp’s two-out home run in the sixth.

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The Angels scored five runs in the second against Ranger Suarez (7-4), who allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Zach Neto singled in a run in the second, and Ward followed with his three-run double. LaMonte Wade Jr. homered in the sixth. He replaced Nolan Schanuel in the first after Schanuel was hit in the wrist by a pitch.

Key moment

With a run in and the bases loaded in the second, Mike Trout worked a full count against Suarez. The next pitch looked borderline, and plate ump Steven Jaschinski called it a ball. That forced in a second Angels run to Suarez’s chagrin. He was really unhappy after the Angels’ next hitter, Ward, cleared the bases.

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Key stat

The Phillies’ Kemp, replacing injured Alec Bohm at third base, committed two errors. That’s three errors in six starts at third for Kemp, who has split another 24 games between first base and left field with only one error.

Up next

The Angels take on the New York Mets in a three-game series beginning Monday night, with Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA) set to oppose the Mets’ Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.39). The Phillies host Boston for three beginning Monday night, with Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36) facing the Red Sox’s Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.12).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Rob Parent, The Associated Press

Our Angels vs. Mets prediction sees the Los Angeles Angels (47-52) getting ready to take on the New York Mets (59-39) in interleague action at Citi Field on Monday evening in the opening game of a three-game series. The Angels are coming off an 8-2 road win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies while the Mets are coming off a 3-2 home win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Veteran left-hander Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Angels while righty Kodai Senga pitches for the Mets. Don’t go down on strikes! Get our top MLB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!

Anderson faced the Mets once last season in a losing effort as he allowed three runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings of work.

The Angels are going to be sending veteran lefty Tyler Anderson to the mound and he is currently 2-6 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 101.2 innings.

The team clicked offensively as they were able to go 13-for-40 with six walks and six strikeouts on the day as LaMonte Wade Jr hit a home run while Zach Neto stole a base.

Mets Looking to Turn Things Back Around

The

New York Mets

are looking to continue stepping up after their 3-2 home win on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds to end their series. The lineup was able to go 7-for-30 with three walks and seven strikeouts as Brett Baty stole his fifth base of the season. The team was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight on base as well. David Peterson did not factor into the decision as he allowed one unearned run in six innings on the bump.

Right-hander Kodai Senga will be getting the start for the New York Mets and is looking sharp as he is 7-3 with a 1.39 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 77.2 innings over 14 starts. Hitters are below the Mendoza line as hitters have a .199 batting average against him. Senga faced the Angels once in 2023 and lost that start as he gave up two runs on four hits with one hit by pitch, three walks, and 10 strikeouts.

Injury Report for New York

Pitcher Dedniel Nunez: Elbow (OUT)

Left fielder Jesse Winker: Back (OUT)

Left fielder Starling Marte: Knee (OUT)

Pitcher Tylor Megill: Elbow (OUT)

Pitcher Jose Butto: Illness (OUT)

Pitcher Paul Blackburn: Shoulder (OUT)

Pitcher Griffin Canning: Achilles (OUT)

Center fielder Jose Siri: Shin (OUT)

Pitcher Max Kranick: Elbow (OUT)

Pitcher Danny Young: Elbow (OUT)

Pitcher AJ Minter: Lat (OUT)

Pitcher Christian Scott: Elbow (OUT)

Third baseman Nick Madrigal: Shoulder (OUT)

Pitcher Drew Smith: Elbow (OUT)

The Chicago White Sox have signed Noah Syndergaard to a minor-league contract nearly two years after the former All-Star pitcher last pitched in an MLB game.

The White Sox confirmed to media Tuesday that Syndergaard has reported to the team’s spring training complex in Glendale, Arizona. It’s not clear where within the White Sox’s system Syndergaard will go from there.

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Syndergaard, 32, is an eight-year MLB veteran who made his name with the New York Mets thanks to an imposing fastball and effective curveball that he leveraged with his 6-foot-6 frame.

He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2015 at 22 years old and was a starter as the Mets advanced to the World Series against the Kansas City Royals that year. He made the All-Star team the following season while posting a career-best 2.60 ERA with 218 strikeouts and 43 walks in 183 2/3 innings.

Noah Syndergaard lasted six starts with the Guardians in 2023 before they released him. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) (Mark Blinch via Getty Images)

Syndergaard missed the 2020 season and most of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and struggled to regain his prior form following the procedure.

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He left New York in free agency ahead of the 2022 season, signing a one-year, $21 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels traded him that season to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers then signed Syndergaard ahead of the 2023 season, and they traded him to the Cleveland Guardians before the trade deadline. The Guardians released him after six starts. Syndergaard posted a 6.50 ERA with the Dodgers and Guardians in his last MLB season in 2023.

For his career, Syndergaard has a 3.71 ERA and 1.196 WHIP with 928 strikeouts in 941 1/3 innings pitched. The White Sox are rolling the dice that he can regain some of his previous form.