Baseball PicksL.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels L.A Dodgers (44-23) at L.A. Angels (35-29) 10:05 ET Friday June 19, 2009 The Dodgers are slight favorites in this game posted at -115 and the Angels are posted at -105 with a run total of 8. Tonight in the first game of the Freeway Series the Angels host the Dodgers. The Dodgers have had trouble with their cross-town interleague rivals, as they are 6-18 in Anaheim since 2001 and dropped 2 of 3 there last season. The Dodgers are coming off a win last night, are 6-4 in their last 10 games, have the best record in the Majors, and are running away with the NL West with a 9 game lead over the San Francisco Giants. The Angels started the season slowly, but now they are back on track and only trail the struggling Texas Rangers by 1.5 games in the AL West, have won 6 in a row, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. This season the Angels are 17-12 at home and the Dodgers are 19-13 on the road. Last night the Dodgers beat the Oakland A’s 3-2. The Dodgers scored 3 runs on 8 hits and left 5 men on base. On defense the Dodgers gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and the A’s left 5 men on base. The Angels beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Wednesday night. The Angels scored 4 runs on 8 hits and left 4 men on base. On defense the Angels gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and the Giants left 7 men on base. Taking the mound for the Dodgers tonight is Cy Young candidate Chad Billingsley (9-3 2.72 ERA), who in his last outing went 7 innings giving up only 2 earned runs in a win. Taking the mound for the Angels is Joe Saunders (7-4 3.66 ERA), who in his last outing went 8 innings giving up only 1 earned run in a win. Staff Pick: The health of the Angels is key in this game and series, as Tori Hunter and Bobby Abreu are both day-to-day. They need to be in the lineup tonight, as they face Ace Billingsley and the Dodgers pitching staff has given up the fewest runs in the Majors (251). Saunders has his work cut out for him, as even without the suspended Manny Ramirez the Dodgers have scored the 2nd most runs in the NL (333). The Angels have the best interleague record this season at 8-1. Billingsley is trying to become the first 10-game winner tonight, but he lost to Angels earlier this season at home and in his career he is only 1-2. The Angels have won 6 in a row, but that was against Padres and the Giants and now they face the Dodgers, who have been on fire the whole season. Look for Billingsley to have a solid outing and for the Dodgers to give him some offensive support, as the Dodgers will take game 1 of this series. Dodgers 6 Angels 3 Bet Baseball Online With Your Credit Card |
