LA Angels at LA Dodgers MLB Series Preview & Betting Odds

The latest installment of the Freeway Series is set to unfold starting on Monday night, as the Los Angeles Angels and their in-town rivals, the Dodgers, square off in a four-game set. The series begins with a pair of games at Dodger Stadium before leaving Chavez Ravine for Anaheim, with the final two to take place at Angel Stadium, with the Dodgers as the favorite to beat the Angels in this MLB series. The Angels have been more than holding their own in the absence of Mike Trout (winning 11 of 19), but the Dodgers have caught fire in the National League West, winning 10 in a row and having belted home runs in 17 consecutive games. Take a look at our perspective on this series as you put together your MLB betting for the week.

LA Angels at LA Dodgers MLB Series Preview & Betting Odds

Rich Hill gets the ball to open the first game of the Freeway Series driven by Lexus.

: https://t.co/0anw66F2EN : https://t.co/rQU8o3yWvo pic.twitter.com/kePY7NTW4U — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 26, 2017

When: Monday, June 26th to Thursday, June 29th Where Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. TV: FS-W (Angels) / SportsNet LA (Dodgers) Radio: KWKW 1330 (Angels) / 570 LA Sports (Dodgers) Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Series Odds: TBA

Monday: Rich Hill (4-3, 4.73 ERA) (LAD) vs Ricky Nolasco (2-9, 5.23 ERA) (LAA)

Hill has a little of an asterisk next to him, because blisters on his pitching hand have sent him to the disabled list on more than one occasion. When he does take his starts, he doesn’t go that long in the game. His key strength as a pitcher is a curve ball that simply undresses opposing hitters — and it was that curveball, and his role in getting the Dodgers to the 2016 NLCS, that earned him a huge contract. While he doesn’t last long in games (no starts have gone more than five innings this season), but he has kept the opposition score low in seven of those starts. The Dodgers have won four of his five last starts. However, he has a 6.23 ERA lifetime against the Angels, in six appearance, five of which came in relief. However, he has not faced them since 2013. On the other side of the field, Nolasco has picked up those nine losses, and that high ERA, thanks to the long ball, as he has permitted 23 home runs in 84 ⅓ innings. He has also given up multiple home runs in 10 of his starts. He comes in having lost seven starts in a row, and the Angels have only won three of the 15 games that he has started. Not all of that is on him, though — the Angels have only scored 19 runs for him in his last starts. His career ERA against the Dodgers is 6.67, but he hasn’t faced them since 2012. Given how the Dodgers are raking right now, though, I see the Dodgers rolling at home in the opener.

Tuesday: Kenta Maeda (LAD) vs Jesse Chavez (LAA)

Jesse Chavez left early in his last start, giving up seven hits and five runs against the New York Yankees. He pitched impressively against the Royals before that (two runs over seven innings), but he appears to be alternating strong starts with struggles, as three starts ago he didn’t make it out of the fourth inning before the Astros pounded him for a pair of home runs and six earned runs total. Kenta Maeda comes out of the bullpen to give the Dodgers a spot start, sliding the rotation down for an extra day of rest. The team’s next off day is July 3, so this puts an extra “off day” for the regular starters into the calendar. His numbers for the season are solid for a long reliever (5-3, 4.62 ERA), so if the Dodgers can take advantage of Chavez, they can win this one. I like the Dodgers to sweep the first half of this series.

Wednesday: Alex Meyer (LAA) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu (LAD)

When you’re in a 10-game winning streak, your whole rotation looks good, and the Dodgers’ Ryu is no exception, giving up just a pair of earned runs in five innings his last time out. Meyer got drummed out in the fourth inning in his last start, as the Red Sox hit a home run and used five hits to score five runs. His three starts before that, though, he has thrown a combined 16 ⅔ innings and permitted just two earned runs. I see Meyer ending that Dodger winning streak.

Thursday: JC Ramirez (LAA) vs Alex Wood (LAD)

Wow — Alex Wood has an 8-0 record and a 1.86 ERA. JC Ramirez pitched well his last time out, holding Boston to one earned run over six innings his last time out. However, given the hot Dodger bats and the solid work Wood has done all season long, I see the Dodgers winning this to make it three of four.

Angels vs Dodgers Final MLB Series Prediction

The Freeway series is always one to watch. Even though the Angels have a pretty stable season, the Dodgers are back to where they usually are in the season, which is up top. So, it most likely will go their way. But then again, this is a crazy sport and anything can happen. Plus, it’s 4 games, so chances are high for either team.