Baseball fans are in for a treat tonight as reigning NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw takes on arguably the best position player in baseball Mike Trout for the first time in their respective careers.
The Angels drew first blood in their four-game series with a decisive shutout last night, but the Dodgers have been close to unbeatable with Kershaw, who’s a threat to throw a shutout every time he steps on the mound.
The Battle of LA may be the best matchup in another stacked MLB schedule tonight. See our choice wagering selections of the day in the daily MLB Free Picks, and read on for more on this battle of two of the best teams in the league.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
When: Tuesday, August 5, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Angels (-135) at Los Angeles Dodgers (+125); total 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ offense, which was the highest scoring in MLB pre-All-Star Game (ASG), is ranked in the bottom third in runs and batting average so far post-ASG. However, that slumping lineup finally looks like it’s finally regaining its potency this August. With last night’s 5-0 win in their series opener against the Dodgers, the Angels have now scored five or more runs in three of their four August outings.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Halos’ holy trinity of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Justin Hamilton were at the center of the production, with four hits and three RBIs among the three of them. In the past week, the three are batting a combined .301 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
The Angels need all the runs they can get with the erratic Hector Santiago on the mound. The lefty starter had an abysmal start to the season, as he had an ERA of 5.01 over his first six starts, all of which the Angels lost. Santiago has yoyoed from the bullpen to the rotation in recent weeks, but the Angels have won the last four games he’s started.
However, he gave up eight total runs to the struggling Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in two of those starts, only for the Angels offense to bail him out with 26 runs in those games.
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Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
We’re running out of superlatives to describe the brilliance of Clayton Kershaw. After having his streak of 41-straight scoreless innings snapped last month, the Dodgers ace is currently working on a new streak, this time with complete games. Kershaw has gone the distance in his last two outings against the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves, and was less than three outs away from recording back-to-back shutouts.
Kershaw’s prodigious run prevention has given the Dodgers a near-automatic win every fifth day. LA is a whopping 11-0 in the lefty’s last 11 starts.
But not even the great Kershaw can win if the Dodgers get shut out like they were last night. Luckily, the Dodger batters should find Hector Santiago a much easier matchup than Angels ace Garrett Richards. Don’t expect Yasiel Puig (.405 average), Matt Kemp (.357, five HR, 14 RBI) and Adrian Gonzalez (.333, 1 HR, 12 RBI), who are all playing incredibly post-ASG, to all be held hitless again.
Writer’s Prediction
Kershaw surrenders a couple of runs, but the Dodgers score runs of their own off Santiago. Take the total to go over 6.5 runs tonight.
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