Interleague action here on Saturday has the LA Angels hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, in Los Angeles, CA.  The D'backs are 45-54 on the season while the Angels are 50-49 overall. 

The Angels will be starting Yusei Kikuchi, who despite a 3-6 record, has been one of the team’s most reliable pitchers this season, sporting an excellent 3.02 ERA and maintaining good command of the strike zone while pitching over 100 innings. He’s been good at keeping the ball in the ballpark and avoiding hard contact, so starting at home should present an ideal environment for him to keep his good work going.

Opposing the Angels will be Zac Gallen, a quality right-hander, who’s had a less than stellar season by his standards so far this year. He’s 7-9 with a 5.15 ERA and has had some trouble with control and leaving pitches in the heart of the strike zone in key moments this year. Gallen has the talent to go on dominating runs and can keep an offense in check, but’s also prone to coughing up big innings, and on the road, the Angels offense will be looking to get to him early and often.

Sending a steady starter out to the mound at home against a Diamondbacks lineup that has been streaky at times and especially on the road, the Angels look poised to control this matchup from start to finish. With an early edge from the offense, Los Angeles has an excellent shot to put this interleague game away.

Jim's Play: 980. Angels (IL Game of the Week)

The Valkyries come into Las Vegas playing confident basketball, holding a 10-9 record after a strong performance against Indiana where Veronica Burton led the way with 21 points. Their defense continues to be a reliable strength, and veteran leadership from players like Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton has kept the team steady on the road. Thornton’s two-way presence, along with consistent bench support, gives Golden State a balanced and gritty identity that has been paying off during this stretch of the season.

Las Vegas, sitting at 9–11, is still adjusting to life without A’ja Wilson, who remains out with a wrist injury. Without their MVP forward, the Aces are missing both their top scorer and their defensive anchor. Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray have taken on more of the load, but the team’s overall rhythm has been off. Las Vegas has dropped three of its last four games, with defensive lapses and inconsistent shot selection proving costly.

The Valkyries won the last meeting between these two teams in dominant fashion, and they appear to be the more composed and complete team coming into this one. They’ve defended well in transition, shown toughness in the paint, and are getting timely contributions from their rotation. With the Aces still searching for answers and Wilson sidelined, Golden State has a clear opportunity to take another step forward and secure a second win over Las Vegas this season. 

Jim's Play: 619. GS Valkyries (-1.15 Money Line)

Minnesota is sitting at 18-3 on the year and is still one of the leagues premier teams. Napheesa Collier is making her MVP argument a very real one, as she is currently averaging over 23 points, almost 8 rebounds, and is a true defensive anchor. The Lynx as a team play very smart, team-oriented basketball, and have the ability to hurt you on both ends. The Lynx currently rank in the top 3 in league in both assisted field-goal rate and defensive efficiency.

Chicago is 6-13, but also a very scary, improving team. A large reason for this has been the play of Angel Reese, who has seven straight double-doubles. Reese has made a name for herself as a consistent go-to scorer inside, as well as being very active on the glass. They also got Kamilla Cardoso back recently and have even more size and depth to bang down low in the paint. It has been good to see the Sky play up-tempo and play to their strengths even without some of their key veterans.

These two teams played recently on July 6 when the Sky had multiple early leads and out-rebounded the Lynx, but fell just short in the end, 75-70. Chicago did an excellent job limiting Minnesota’s three-point attempts, holding them to just 31% on the day. This will be another key, as the Sky will need to do a better job of keeping the game at the rim in order to keep this one close late.  We should still see another competitive game, but I just do not think you can lay the double-digits to this Chicago team. I’ll take the home dog on Saturday. 

Jim's Play: 618. Chic Sky