By: Ben Burns
8/8/2006 8:58:12 AM


Prediction: Dodgers

Reason: Tuesday's complimentary section is on the LA DODGERS. A return home to the West Coast did nothing to slow down the Dodgers.

With another victory yesterday, LA has now won 10 straight games. The Dodgers should enjoy an edge on the mound and have an excellent shot at extending their streak tonight. Greg Maddux was brilliant in his first start as a Dodger. In that game, at Cincinnati, he shutdown the Reds for six complete innings, en route to a 3-0 victory.



Tonight, the future Hall-of-Fame pitcher will make his first home start since joining the Dodgers. Maddux has been quoted as saying: "Dodger Stadium is one of the few stadiums I went to as a kid, so it's always been kind of special to me." In his most recent start here (April 17 as a Brave) Maddux allowed only three hits through eight complete innings. For his career, he has a solid 3.19 ERA here. I expect him to deliver another quality effort tonight.

Byung-Hyun Kim also comes off back to back strong starts for the Rockies. However, both those starts came at Coors Field where he has an excellent 2.75 ERA. Things have been a different story on the road. In fact, in eight road appearances, Kim has gone 2-3 with an ugly 7.19 ERA (1.839 WHIP), allowing opposing hitters a high .335 batting average. Lets look for Maddux to outpitch Kim as the Dodgers continue to roll for another day.