NYY @ LAA: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Jack Kochanowicz

Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

After a rather annoying loss Friday night in Denver, the Yankees bounced back with two weekend wins to take yet another series from an opponent. Tonight, their western sojourn continues versus the Angels, as the Yanks look to keep stacking victories and opening daylight in the American League East.

Ryan Yarbrough gets the ball for New York, making his fourth start since taking over the fifth starter role in the rotation. Thus far, the returns are good. In three starts, he’s allowed only four runs in 14 innings, throwing five frames in each of his last two outings. The southpaw isn’t going to blow batters away with velocity, as he averages a mere 88.3-mph with his four-seam fastball. The secret to his success has been limiting hard contact. Yarbrough’s average exit velocity allowed (99th percentile), barrel percentage (92nd), and hard-hit percentage (99th) are all among baseball’s very best in 2025.

The Angels hand the ball to Jack Kochanowicz. The sophomore right-hander has struggled so far in 2025, pitching to a 5.03 ERA in 53.2 innings for the Angels. He’s an unknown quantity for the Yankees, with nary a Bronx Bomber having faced him in the major leagues. He throws either his sinker or his four-seamer 68 percent of the time, with each offering averaging around 96 mph. Unfortunately for him, none of his offerings are really missing bats, with his K% sitting in the sixth percentile in baseball. Moreover, he’s allowed nine longballs already this season. Lots of contact, and lots of home runs allowed. I like it. No one but Aaron Judge went yard at Coors Field this weekend, so hopefully there are lots of big flies saved up in the Yankees’ bats.

At the dish, Aaron Judge deservedly gets a ton of attention but he’s not the only Yankee hitter firing on all cylinders right now. Cody Bellinger has been on fire lately, with a .307/.377/.579 slash line in his last 30 games. Meanwhile, Jasson Domínguez has quietly raked in May as well. The Martian boasts a .260/.318/.518 line this month and has terrorized right-handed pitching all season, to the tune of an .885 OPS.

Perhaps not coincidentally, that’s the 3-4-5 of the Yankee order tonight with Paul Goldschmidt (who had six hits of his own on the weekend) getting the night off in today’s version of “musical lineup.” Ben Rice holds down first in his stead and leads off, while Judge gets a DH day and the Yanks deploy an outfield of Domínguez, Trent Grisham, and Bellinger. Keep an eye out for Goldschmidt to make a pinch-hit appearance later on, especially if Halos skipper Ron Washington puts a lefty out there.

Let’s keep the good times rolling, Yankees. After taking the series from the Rockies, tonight is an opportunity to begin the task of doing likewise to the Angels.

How to watch

Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA

First pitch: 9:38 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, FanDuel Sports Network West

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, KLAA 830, KWKW 1330

Online stream: MLB.tv

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NYY @ LAA: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Jack Kochanowicz

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