Los Angeles Angels at San Diego Padres

• Monday: 6:40 p.m. (Padres.TV)
• Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. (Padres.TV)
• Wednesday: 6:40 p.m. (Padres.TV)

In the standings

Los Angeles Angels (16-23, 5th in AL West)

The Angels have lost six of their last 10 games and went 9-16 in April to bury what was a promising 7-3 start to the season. They are already six games out in the AL West and have a minus-65 run differential that’s worse than every team but the Rockies (minus-128) and the Marlins (minus-69).

San Diego Padres (25-14, 2nd in NL West)

The Padres went 6-3 on the road trip but a loss on Sunday dropped them a game behind the Dodgers, owners of the best record in the majors. The Padres were swept in a three-game set last year in Anaheim, but they are 14-4 so far this year at home.

Trending

Los Angeles: The Angels rank 26th in OPS (.659) and last on on-base percentage (.274), while their pitching staff ranks 21st in rotation ERA (4.13) and 29th in bullpen ERA (6.94). OF Jo Adell has three homers over his last six games (1.118 OPS) and both 3B Yoan Moncada (1.089 OPS) and OF Taylor Ward (.789 OPS) both have two. C Logan O’Hoppe has nine strikeouts and a .425 OPS over that same stretch, while both SS Zach Neto (.550 OPS) and 2B Kyren Paris (.560 OPS) have gone cold over the last week.

San Diego: DH Gavin Sheets leads the team with seven RBIs over the last week (1.117 OPS), while both 3B Manny Machado (1.129 OPS) and OF Jackson Merrill (1.442 OPS) have a team-high 11 hits over that stretch. Meantime, 1B Luis Arraez is hitting .222/.300/.296 over his last six games.

Pitching matchups

Monday

Angels LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 3.83 ERA)   |   The 33-year-old veteran has 39 strikeouts against 20 walks through 42 ⅓ innings to start his Angels career. The Angels are 2-6 in Kikuchi’s starts. He has a 5.79 ERA in three career starts against the Padres, but he has not faced them since 2020 (9 IP, 8 ER) while still with the Mariners.

Padres RHP Michael King (4-1, 2.22 ERA)   |   King has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts (1.44 ERA). He also has a 1.32 ERA over five home starts. King has a 4.91 ERA in 7⅓ career innings against the Angels, but he has not started against them since 2021 (4⅓ IP, 2 ER) and has not faced them since 2023 (3 IP in relief, 2 ER).

Tuesday

Angels RHP Jose Soriano (2-4, 4.00 ERA)   |   He has quality starts in three of his eight trips to the mound so far, but he hasn’t won since April 10, a span of five starts (5.04 ERA). Soriano beat the Padres in his only start against them last year, allowing two runs — one earned — in six innings.

Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-2, 4.91 ERA)   |   Forearm cramping ended his last start in the seventh inning, his best of the season as he’d struck out nine and only allowed a run on a solo homer through 6 ⅔ innings at Yankee Stadium. He’d posted a 6.65 ERA over his previous five starts. Cease has a 3.66 ERA in six career starts against the Angels, which includes allowing three runs in six innings in a loss in Anaheim last year.

Wednesday

Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-4, 5.30 ERA)   |   The long-time Cub has 15 walks and 21 strikeouts in 35⅔ innings (1.26 WHIP) to start his Angels tenure. Hendricks has just two quality starts in seven trips to the mound. He has a 3.27 ERA in 15 starts (93 ⅔ IP) against the Padres, but they knocked him around for seven runs in five innings last year with the Cubs.

Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (2-3, 3.76 ERA)   |   He struck out more batters (5) than he walked (1) for the first time this season, paving the way for a quality start and a win at Coors Field on Friday. It was Vásquez’s first quality start since his first start of the season. Vásquez is making his first career appearance against the Angels.

Team leaders

• OPS: Angels—C Logan O’Hoppe (.793), DH Jorge Soler (.731), OF Mike Trout (.726); Padres—OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.939), 3B Manny Machado (.868), DH Gavin Sheets (.858).
• Homers: Angels—O’Hoppe (9), Trout (9), OF Taylor Ward (8); Padres—Tatis (9), Sheets (5), OF Jackson Merrill (4).
• RBIs: Angels—O’Hoppe (18), Trout (18), Ward (17), OF Jo Adell (17); Padres—Tatis (23), Sheets (21), Machado (20).
• Steals: Angels—SS Zach Neto (7), 2B Kyren Paris (5), Trout (2); Padres—Tatis (8), Machado (7), SS Xander Bogaerts (6), OF Brandon Lockridge (6).
• Saves: Angels—RHP Kenley Jansen (7, 5.40 ERA), RHP Ryan Johnson (1, 7.36 ERA), RHP Ryan Zeferjahn (1, 3.55 ERA); Padres—RHP Robert Suarez (15, 0.51 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (1, 3.57 ERA).
• Holds: Angels—LHP Brock Burke (4, 5.40 ERA), Zeferjahn (3), RHP Ben Joyce (2, 6.23 ERA); Padres—RHP Jason Adam (11, 1.77 ERA), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (8, 1.96 ERA), Morejón (4).

Training room

Los Angeles: OF Mike Trout has been out all month with a left knee bone bruise. He’s hoping to return by the middle of the month. The Angels are also without OF/C Gustavo Campero (ankle) and RHPs Ben Joyce (shoulder), Garrett McDaniels (biceps), Sam Bachman (thoracic outlet syndrome) and RHP Robert Stephenson (UCL). 3B Anthony Rendon is also likely to miss yet another season, this time after hip surgery.

San Diego: OF Jackson Merrill is day-to-day after an illness scratched him from Sunday’s lineup. The Padres as of Sunday afternoon had not determined if it was viral or food related. RHP Yu Darvish (elbow) threw three innings at the team’s complex in Peoria, Ariz., on Thursday. He’s nearing a minor league rehab assignment. RHP Bryan Hoeing (shoulder) has begun a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League. INF Mason McCoy (finger), RHP Matt Waldron (oblique) and RHP Logan Gillaspie (oblique) have not yet begun rehab assignments.