The Freeway Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels will take center stage on MLB’s Saturday schedule. The Halos pulled off a surprise win on Friday night, beating the Dodgers 4-3 in 10 innings. But that won’t stop the Dodgers from being massive favorites on Saturday with a moneyline of -310 compared to the Angels, who have a moneyline of +250.
Despite Friday’s home loss, the Dodgers didn’t lose any ground in the NL West race, remaining 3.5 games behind the Giants. Of course, LA is just 7-10 over the team’s last 17 games, so they aren’t surging in the second half the way more people assumed they would. Before heading to the East Coast next weekend, the Dodgers need to take advantage of games against teams like the Angels.
Of course, the Halos are a little better than people realize and not completely out of the playoff race. With Friday’s victory, the Angels have now won four in a row, putting them two games over .500 on the season. However, they are still six games out in the Wild Card standings, and the Halos need to find a way to stay hot.
Passing the Bar
Young righty Jose Barria will get the ball for the Angels on Saturday. He’s constantly bounced between the majors and the minors over the last few years, making just two starts and two relief appearances in the big leagues this year. On the bright side, Barria has a chance to find a permanent home in the rotation and has allowed just two runs over 13.2 innings since being recalled and inserted into the rotation in late July.
On paper, the Dodgers pose a serious threat to Barria, although the LA lineup has been wildly erratic lately. After scoring 13 runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Sunday, they were shut out against the Houston Astros on Tuesday and managed just three runs over 10 innings during Friday’s loss.
The good news is that Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, and AJ Pollock are all red-hot right now, as the Dodgers hope they can start to show a little more consistency now that the lineup is close to full strength.
All He Does His Win
The Dodgers have a good omen for Saturday’s game, with Julio Urias taking the mound. The lefty has gotten the win in 13 of his 22 starts this season while posting a 3.40 ERA. The 24-year-old has dazzled since the start of July, giving up one run or less in five of his last six starts.
Meanwhile, the Angels continue to be short-handed with Anthony Rendon done for the year and both Jared Walsh and Mike Trout still on the IL. Despite their recent winning streak, the Halos have still been held to four runs or less in seven of their last nine games. Even Shohei Ohtani has struggled lately with the team’s heavy hitters around him on the shelf, leaving David Fletcher and Jack Mayfield as the only Angels who are producing right now.
Sure Thing?
There’s no such thing as a sure thing, as the Dodgers learned on Friday. But with Urias on the mound and the Angels’ lineup in shambles, the Halos have a narrow path to victory. The Dodgers are too good to lose two in a row under these circumstances, so bet on the Dodgers to win on Saturday.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.