Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies are favored in baseball gambling on Friday as they host the San Diego Padres is the first game of a four-game series.
The Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers resume their rivalry on Friday as the teams play the first of a three-game baseball gambling series. The Dodgers are favored in MLB gambling in the first game of the freeway series with Chad Billingsley expected to get the start.
The Angels are expected to give the ball to Joel Pineiro on Friday. He is 4-6 this season with a 5.26 ERA. Pineiro gave up three runs last time out in the first inning against Seattle but gave up just one run the rest of the way. He gave up nine hits and three walks while striking out five. He is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers.
Billingsley gave up three runs to the Braves last Saturday. Billingsley has been pitching very well of late as he has not allowed more than three runs since early May. Billingsley still needs to improve his home ERA as it is 4.66 compared to 2.78 on the road.
The Angels and Dodgers have split their last 10 games. The last time they met was in Anaheim last June. The Dodgers won two of those three games and two of the games went over the total. They last played in Los Angeles over a year ago when the Angels took two of three. Since the teams are just miles apart, the home field advantage has not meant much in this series.
The Angels are starting to look like the team that has owned the American League West in recent seasons. They still have some issues but no one in that division looks to be that strong. The Angels have actually been almost as good on the road as at home so they are definitely capable of winning in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers have been far better at home this season than on the road. Dodgers Stadium has been a boon to Los Angeles this season. The Dodgers are right back in the National League West race and it is because of their home record. The Dodgers have also improved their team ERA and Billingsley is a big part of that improvement. The Dodgers are still one of the better offensive teams as they rank in the top ten in the league in runs scored.