Game: Los Angeles Angels @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Odds: Angels +170, Dodgers -200
Total: 9
The Battle for Los Angeles is on tonight as the Angels visit the Dodgers in the first of a quick two-game series. Neither team is all that hot right now. The Angels, of course, had that awful 14-game losing streak. They have gone 2-2 since breaking the streak. The Dodgers have just two wins in their last eight games and were swept by the Giants over the weekend. Their normally high-scoring offense was limited to just four total runs in three games against San Francisco. The Dodgers were shut out on Sunday.
Tonight, the Dodgers will have Tony Gonsolin on the mound. The right-hander has been outstanding this season. He has yet to lose this season going a perfect 7-0. His ERA is the second-best in MLB at 1.58. Gonsolin has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start this season. The Dodgers have won eight of his 11 starts this season. Two of the losses were one-run games.
Gonsolin will go up against an Angels lineup that has cooled off some since May. The Angels are tied for 15th in runs per game. They are led by Mike Trout (.293, 16 HR, 34 RBI) and Shohei Ohtani (.255, 13 HR, 37 RBI), both of whom are among the AL MVP favorites. Taylor Ward (.333, 10 HR, 26 RBI) is likely out for tonight, but Jared Walsh has been playing well as of late. Walsh is batting .260 with 11 homers and 36 RBI.
The Dodgers will go up against Angels pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who faced some tough lineups in his last two outings. Syndergaard actually took the loss in his last two starts. He gave up five earned runs to the Yankees in a 9-1 loss but then rebounded to give up a single run against Boston in six innings of work. It wasn’t enough though as the Angels couldn’t produce and lost 1-0 to the Red Sox. What Syndergaard has been able to do is go deep into games and he will need to tonight.
With their two wins in their last four games, the Angels are now 2-16 SU in their last 18 games. The Angels are just a game behind Texas and 8.5 games behind first-place Houston in the AL West. The Angels have not had much success against the Dodgers recently. They are 3-9 SU in their last 12 against the Dodgers. The Angels also haven’t been good on the road. They have lost their last nine away games in a row.
In addition to the two wins in their last eight games, the Dodgers are just 2-5 SU in their last seven home games. They are, however, 5-1 SU in their last six against the Angels at home. The Dodgers are the top-scoring team in MLB (5.15 runs per game), but they have one of the higher Under percentages (55.4%) in the league. Four of the Dodgers’ last six games have gone Under.