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.
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.
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.
