Sports Today Tuesday, September 1
← Back to today’s slate MLB matchup · September 1, 2026
New York Yankees
78-60 · 2nd in AL East, 4.5 GB
Bats heating up
RHP Gerrit Cole · High-strikeout arm · plus control
@
Los Angeles Angels
53-85 · 5th in AL West, 17 GB
Offense cooling lately
RHP Grayson Rodriguez · Balanced starter
MLB · Angel Stadium, hits run 7% below average here · 6:38 PM PT

Team Identity

New York Yankees
Season-to-date, 137 games, 5,324 PA.
A power-hitting, patient offense that does damage on extra-base hits, though it can be strikeout-prone. The bats have been heating up lately.
Power
Above Avg81
Contact
Well Below13
Plate Discipline
Above Avg74
Speed
Above Avg72
RISP
Well Below23
Recent Form
Trending Up
Hit rate is up 12% over the team's last 10 games versus its season baseline.
Los Angeles Angels
Season-to-date, 137 games, 5,311 PA.
A below-league-average offense across most categories this season. The offense has cooled off recently.
Power
Well Below13
Contact
Well Below15
Plate Discipline
Below Avg33
Speed
Average47
RISP
Well Below14
Recent Form
Trending Down
Total bases per PA is down 10% over the team's last 10 games versus its season baseline.

What This Game Is About

Biggest Advantage

Yankees' offense is defined by being power-hitting, and this game tests whether Angels can match it.

Swing Factor

Yankees rank in the 81st percentile in extra-base production, while Grayson Rodriguez sits in the 10th percentile at suppressing total bases.

Momentum

Yankees are trending up and Angels are trending down over their last 10 games.

Key Matchups

Can Grayson Rodriguez limit Yankees' power?
Yankees rank in the 81st percentile in extra-base production, while Grayson Rodriguez sits in the 10th percentile at suppressing total bases.
Edge · YankeesYankees: 0.347 TB/PAGrayson Rodriguez: 0.420 TB/PA allowed (326 PA)High confidence
Can Gerrit Cole miss enough bats?
Gerrit Cole strikes hitters out at a 25.7% clip (80th percentile); Angels carry a 24.3% strikeout rate.
Edge · Gerrit ColeGerrit Cole: 25.7% K rateAngels: 24.3% K rateHigh confidence
Can Grayson Rodriguez miss enough bats?
Grayson Rodriguez strikes hitters out at a 19.9% clip (39th percentile); Yankees carry a 23.5% strikeout rate.
Edge · YankeesGrayson Rodriguez: 19.9% K rateYankees: 23.5% K rateHigh confidence
Can Gerrit Cole limit Angels' power?
Angels rank in the 13th percentile in extra-base production, while Gerrit Cole sits in the 38th percentile at suppressing total bases.
Edge · Gerrit ColeAngels: 0.320 TB/PAGerrit Cole: 0.355 TB/PA allowed (408 PA)High confidence
Can Grayson Rodriguez command the strike zone?
Yankees walk in 9.3% of trips; Grayson Rodriguez allows walks at a fairly typical rate (9.5%).
Edge · YankeesYankees: 9.3% walk rateGrayson Rodriguez: 9.5% walks allowedHigh confidence

Pitcher Trends

Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole
New York Yankees · 8 starts
SP
Strikeouts7.2/start
Hits allowed4.6/start
5+ Strikeouts — 6 of last 64 or fewer Hits Allowed — 3 of last 6
26% K rate
Per-start form only — opponent lineup, park, and pitch count aren't modeled.
Grayson Rodriguez
Grayson Rodriguez
Los Angeles Angels · 8 starts
SP
Strikeouts5.1/start
Hits allowed5.0/start
6+ Strikeouts — 4 of last 65 or fewer Hits Allowed — 5 of last 6
20% K rate
Per-start form only — opponent lineup, park, and pitch count aren't modeled.

Player Trends

Zach Neto
Zach Neto
Los Angeles Angels · 0.357 hit rate · 0.690 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L54 / 5L109 / 10L2516 / 25
Total bases per PA is up 95% over his prior baseline, with hits in 8 of his last 9 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 19%.
Luis Garcia Jr.
Luis Garcia Jr.
New York Yankees · 0.353 hit rate · 0.647 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L53 / 5L106 / 10L2515 / 252-game hit streak
Total bases per PA is up 74% over his prior baseline, with hits in 5 of his last 9 games.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
New York Yankees · 0.314 hit rate · 0.457 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L53 / 5L107 / 10L2514 / 25
Hit rate is up 70% over his prior baseline, with hits in 6 of his last 9 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 11%.
Jose Siri
Jose Siri
Los Angeles Angels · 0.088 hit rate · 0.088 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L50 / 5L102 / 10L259 / 25
Total bases per PA is down 79% over his prior baseline, with hits in 2 of his last 10 games. His strikeout rate has climbed to 35%.
Tyler Heineman
Tyler Heineman
Los Angeles Angels · 0.067 hit rate · 0.067 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L51 / 5L102 / 10L2510 / 25
On-base rate is down 73% over his prior baseline, with hits in 1 of his last 5 games.
George Lombard Jr.
George Lombard Jr.
New York Yankees · 0.171 hit rate · 0.229 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L52 / 5L105 / 10L2515 / 23
Total bases per PA is down 39% over his prior baseline, with hits in 5 of his last 9 games. His strikeout rate has climbed to 31%.

Players Positioned to Succeed

83
Zach Neto
Zach Neto
1+ Hit
Los Angeles Angels
Why it stands out
Strong recent plate-appearance volume
Main risk
Recent hit rate has cooled
74
Ben Rice
Ben Rice
1+ Hit
New York Yankees
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
72
Nolan Schanuel
Nolan Schanuel
1+ Hit
Los Angeles Angels
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
70
Luis Garcia Jr.
Luis Garcia Jr.
1+ Hit
New York Yankees
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
70
Donovan Walton
Donovan Walton
1+ Hit
Los Angeles Angels
Why it stands out
Low recent strikeout rate
Main risk
Recent hit rate has cooled
67
Mike Trout
Mike Trout
1+ Hit
Los Angeles Angels
Why it stands out
Strong recent plate-appearance volume
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted

Expected Game Shape

BalancedLow confidence

Competitive profile without a clear stylistic tilt. Yankees bring stronger recent momentum. Yankees bring more power.

Early edge Yankees Driver No single dominant factor Volatility Elevated
  • Both probable starters grade around the 45th percentile in combined suppression.
  • Yankees are trending up; Angels are trending down.

Storylines to Watch

Does Yankees' power tilt the game?
Yankees bring a clearly stronger extra-base profile into this matchup.
Yankees power pct 81 vs Angels 13
Can Angels handle Gerrit Cole's strikeout stuff?
Angels have been a below-average contact team while Gerrit Cole misses bats at an above-average rate — a swing factor early.
Angels contact percentile: 15
Is Zach Neto the one to watch?
Zach Neto enters as Angels' hottest bat. Total bases per PA is up 95% over his prior baseline, with hits in 8 of his last 9 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 19%.
0.357 hit rate · 0.690 TB/PA · 0.194 hit rate · 0.353 TB/PA
Based on plate appearances before 2026-09-01, with today's posted lineups when available. Injuries, weather, bullpen availability, and park factors are not yet included.