The Atlanta Braves were scheduled to meet the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim, with first pitch set for 9:38 pm ET at Angels Stadium. Chris Sale was expected to start for Atlanta against Jose Soriano in a game that puts two sharply different early-season numbers on the same mound.
Sale had allowed one run on four hits while striking out nine over 12 innings in his first two starts, a strong opening that matched the kind of form Atlanta hoped for when it sent him out against an Angels lineup that has struggled to miss bats enough to survive long stretches. Los Angeles entered the game with the fourth-highest strikeout rate this season and the highest strikeout rate in 2025 when facing left-handed pitching, a bad fit against a left-hander who has been dealing early.
Soriano has been just as hard to square up. He had not allowed a run on four hits over 12 innings this season, giving Los Angeles a starter who could slow a Braves offense that has been uneven outside one explosive night. Atlanta scored 17 runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 2, but it had also been held to four runs or fewer in four of its first seven games, which is the kind of inconsistency that can make even a solid matchup feel slippery.
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The Angels have had their own problems keeping the offense moving. They ranked 20th in OPS and 21st in wRC+, and Mike Trout was expected to be out for an extended period of time. That has left less margin for error, especially in a season in which their offense has not often delivered enough support for the pitching staff.
One number tells much of the story. The Angels have hit the Team Total Under in 31 of their last 41 games dating back to last season, a trend listed at plus 20.90 units and a 43% ROI. That run has lined up with the broader picture around this club: too many strikeouts, too little production, and too much pressure on games to stay tight.
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There is still a wrinkle. Los Angeles came off a 1-0 win over the Mariners on Saturday night, a game they stole after Jo Adell robbed a home run, and that result showed the Angels can still win when the margin is thin. But the bigger body of work points the other way, and Sale’s early command gives Atlanta the more stable starting position entering a game where one swing, or one missed pitch, could decide everything.
For the Braves, the question is whether the offense that erupted in Arizona can show up again against a pitcher who has not given much away. For the Angels, it is whether a low-scoring formula can survive another night against a left-hander who has been sharp from the start.
