Game 1 of this series was a classic pitching duel, but tonight’s contest may light up the scoreboard.
Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers
Los Angeles fell to 1-2 on its current six-game road trip after dropping a 3-2 contest to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Thursday night in Arlington. “Each game with these guys is important,” last night’s starting pitcher Jered Weaver said. “Six back is not where we want to be.” The Angels are 4-3 since the All-Star break, but 7-11 this month (-480). An important trend to pay attention to this weekend is the Halos propensity to perform at a high level over the weekend. Los Angeles is 28-17 in games played from Friday-Sunday this season compared to 23-29 the rest of the week. The team will find itself a +175 to +200 road underdog for just the third time in three years, posting a 1-2 mark (-20) with the total being 2-1 O/U in those games.
Colorado comes into Philadelphia with a 2-5 record on its current 11-game road trip, after losing three of four in Florida. “We’ve got to find a way to win a couple more games on this trip,” manager Jim Tracy said. It may prove tough for a turnaround in Philadelphia, a place where they’ve lost six of their last seven games. The club has 10 road series left on the season with seven of those against teams above .500. The Rockies have done a great job in bouncing back from defeat, posting a 27-17 record this year after a loss (+1,020). Colorado has also been great in starting off a series in winning fashion, going 7-2 in the first game of a series.
New York stumbles into a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers after losing 4-3 in 14 innings on Wednesday and getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets are dismal 19-30 on the road this season (-930) and have fallen 6.5 games back of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. New York is 3-10 in its last 13 games and 8-16 over its last 24 games. Offensively, the team has been held to four runs or fewer in 12 straight games, as the club has compiled a 3-9 record over that stretch. In their last seven games, the Mets have managed to score first just once, with the team being 9-28 when the opponent draws first blood. Expect a possible bounce back performance in tonight’s change of venue, with the team being 5-3 after three or more consecutive losses this season (+340) and 26-19 in this spot the last three years (+1,240).
Los Angeles comes into this series having a chance to gain ground on the AL West Division leaders, as they currently sit five games back of the Texas Rangers. “We’ve been sitting four, five games back for a while now,” tonight’s starter Jered Weaver said. “When you’re playing those games, you pick up a game or lose one. Simple as that.” The Angels are now 4-2 since the All-Star break after dropping the series finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon and the team is 7-10 this month (-380), after losing just nine games in June (18-9). The team trails 3-2 in the season series against Texas, as four of the five meetings this year have been one-run affairs. Los Angeles has dropped eight of the last 11 meetings in Arlington.
Washington’s furious comeback fell short in a 8-7 road defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park, in a game that was interrupted for three hours in the middle of the fifth inning by rain. The Nationals have now dropped four straight since tonight’s starter toed the rubber. With 94 games filed away, the team’s 40 wins to date is far better than the 27 victories the team garnered at this point last season. Prop bettors need to take notice that the club has plated the first run in 15 of their last 18 contests dating back to June 28. After starting 9-7 on the road this season, the Nationals are 6-26 away in their last 32 games away from Washington, DC. The team has played just seven road games the past three years with a total of 7 or less, with six of those games taking place this season (3-3, +150).
Los Angeles started its brief road trip to New York and Texas with an impressive 10-2 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx. It’s part of a stretch that has the club playing three teams with a combined record of 166-112 when adding a series with Boston when they return home. The team banged out 14 hits on Tuesday night and is batting a combined .300 against the Yankees over the past five seasons, their highest average against any AL club. In fact, the team is 54-44 against New York during the Mike Scioscia era, dating back to 2000. The Angels have a 4-3 season series lead over the Yankees, but the team has managed to win just three of their last 13 games in New York. The bullpen has been much improved this month, posting a 2.67 ERA in July, after struggling to post a 4.97 ERA the month prior. Los Angeles continues to dominate teams during the day, posting a 18-13 mark this season (+510) and 86-39 record the last three years (+4,750).
Houston is set to play its final game of a six-game road trip against the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, with the team posting a 12-5 combined mark against those two opponents this season. The Astros are 14-11 versus NL clubs since June 7, winning four of seven series over that span. Unlike today’s opponent, Houston has had success against the division, tallying a 21-17 record (+1,060). The club is 13-18 in day games this season (+10) and 60-63 over the last three years, with the team averaging 3.5 runs and combining for a dismal .229 average under the sun. Houston has thrived in playing during the middle of the week, tallying an 11-3 mark when playing on Wednesday (+1,020).
Texas has won 13 of its last 16 games on the road and snapped an 11-game losing streak in Detroit with an 8-6 victory. Outfielder Nelson Cruz’s 14th inning home run allowed the Rangers to win their fourth in five games and extend their lead to five games in the AL West. The club is 7-9 in July (-1,100), but still carry the league’s third-best overall record and fifth in the Majors. Despite Monday’s victory, it’s important to note the team has still been outscored 90-35 in its last 12 games at Comerica Park. The Rangers have been a road favorite of -125 to -150 just seven times this season (4-3, Even) and 15 times over the last three years (8-7, -130).
Boston has dropped nine of its last 12 games and have fallen 6.5 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East race. The Red Sox offense sputtered in the first series back from the All-Star break, scoring just 11 runs in four home games against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. The lineup still leads the majors in runs despite the recent slump, which has been caused by having four regular contributors on the disabled list. The Red Sox are 22-20 on the road this season and are in a stretch of playing 14 straight games against the AL West division, traveling to Seattle and Anaheim after this series. Boston is 9-5 against Western opponents so far in 2010.
