Are Angels and Dodgers on freeway collision course?
After sweeping past their opponents in their division series matchups, the Angels and Dodgers have Los Angelans dreaming of a Freeway Series, and why not?
From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day
I live L.A.
- - Randy Newman
Could it be a LaLa Land World Series this year? After watching how the Angels and Dodgers blew past Boston and St. Louis respectively in the first round of the MLB playoffs, it certainly wouldn't be a big surprise.
Of course before they get to face each other they are both going to have to take care of business in their respective League Championship Series. The LDS sweeps left the two skippers, Joe Torre in Los Angeles and Anaheim's Mike Scioscia, able to go with the same rotations they had in their division series for their upcoming LCS's. I suspect Scioscia will go with John Lackey for his opener, easy choice. But I also think he'll bring one of the lefthanders in for Game 2 setting up Jered Weaver and the other southpaw for the first two games back in Anaheim.
Torre needs to go on and make the official shift in LA to the next staff ace in this next series, and make Clayton Kershaw his Game 1 starter for the NLCS. Follow him with Vicente Padilla then open the road portion of the match with Randy Wolf.
The teams split their regular season meetings, each winning two in the other's park. That's the opposite of what happened in 2008 when they both two of three on their home turf. The 2009 series produced three one-run games and a pair of two-run contests. The only 'blowout' was a 10-7 win for the Halos at Dodger Stadium in May. That was also the only game of the six to go over 10 runs, with the totals going 4-9-17 in LA and 9-10-8 at the Big A.
The Angels will face the tall task of stopping the Yankees who also swept past the Minnesota Twins in the other LDS. Meanwhile the Dodgers await the winner of the Phillies-Rockies matchup that currently finds Philadelphia ahead two games to one.
So there's still a long way to get to a Freeway Series, but you have to like the matchup and it left me wondering what would happen if the two did meet.
Game 1, Anaheim: Angels-5 Dodgers-2
John Lackey and Clayton Kershaw hook up in a pitchers duel with the Dodgers out in front 2-1 through seven on the strength of an RBI double by Manny Ramirez and solo homer off the bat of Casey Blake. In the bottom of the eighth, Kershaw walks leadoff hitter Kendry Morales and is relieved by Ronald Belisario to face Torii Hunter who promptly goes deep to ignite a four-run inning for the Halos who closed -130 at the books with the Under 8 cashing as well.
Game 2, Anaheim: Dodgers-6 Angels-4 (10 inn)
Jered Weaver and the Angels jump to a 3-0 lead after two innings against Randy Wolf who then settles down and keeps the Dodgers in the game with four shutout innings after that. Meanwhile Russell Martin and Matt Kemp homer in the third and eighth and the game goes to extras tied 4-4. James Loney unloads with a two-run homer in the 10th off Brian Fuentes and Jonathan Broxton works a 1-2-3 10th to get the win after surviving a bases-full jam in the bottom of the ninth. The closing lines were Angels -145 and 9.
Game 3, Los Angeles: Dodgers-4 Angels-2
Vicente Padilla tosses another postseason gem, leaving with two outs in the top of the eighth and the Dodgers leading 4-1. Back-to-back solo shots in the first by Kemp and Andre Ethier off Joe Saunders push LA to an early lead on this Halloween Night, and it's all Padilla and the bullpen from there on. Broxton works around a walk and an error in the ninth for the save. The line opened with the Angels slight favorites at -115 but moved to the Dodgers -118 at close. The under cashed for a second time in the Series.
Game 4, Los Angeles: Angels-8 Dodgers-4
Scott Kazmir tosses seven, 1-run innings and Kendry Morales hits a slam in the fourth off Chad Billingsley that gives the Angels a 6-0 lead at the time. Kemp hits his third homer in as many games, a 3-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that makes the score closer than it really was. The Halos covered as -145 favorites and the Over 8½ was also a winner.
Game 5, Los Angeles: Angels-7 Dodgers-2
John Lackey tosses a three-hitter over eight innings and Juan Rivera has a homer and double to drive in three as the Angels take a 3-2 lead. Two of the three hits off Lackey were solo homers by Manny leading off the fourth and with two outs in the seventh. Three of the five runs charged to Kershaw are unearned thanks to errors by Blake and Furcal. The line opened just about a pick 'em and stayed there with the Dodgers closing -112 at most shop and the total at 8.
Game 6, Anaheim: Angels-5 Dodgers-2
What, did you expect me to end this with some wild Game 7 prediction where second base umpire Charlie Reliford misses an obvious call on a steal by Chone Figgins that opens the doors for the winning run in the ninth? No way. The missed call is actually by Hunter Wendelstedt in the sixth inning of Game 6 and ignites the winning rally for the Angels. With the Dodgers up 2-0 on a fifth inning dinger by Matt Kemp off Jered Weaver, Chone Figgins leads off against Wolf with a bunt single, is ruled safe at second on a steal when he was obviously out, and the wheels come off Torre and the Bums. Morales' two-run homer caps the five-run outburst, and the Angels bullpen snuffs LA after that. Weaver and the Halos get the cover at a -140 price, with the Under 8 also paying off.
After sweeping past their opponents in their division series matchups, the Angels and Dodgers have Los Angelans dreaming of a Freeway Series, and why not?
From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day
I live L.A.
- - Randy Newman
Could it be a LaLa Land World Series this year? After watching how the Angels and Dodgers blew past Boston and St. Louis respectively in the first round of the MLB playoffs, it certainly wouldn't be a big surprise.
Of course before they get to face each other they are both going to have to take care of business in their respective League Championship Series. The LDS sweeps left the two skippers, Joe Torre in Los Angeles and Anaheim's Mike Scioscia, able to go with the same rotations they had in their division series for their upcoming LCS's. I suspect Scioscia will go with John Lackey for his opener, easy choice. But I also think he'll bring one of the lefthanders in for Game 2 setting up Jered Weaver and the other southpaw for the first two games back in Anaheim.
Torre needs to go on and make the official shift in LA to the next staff ace in this next series, and make Clayton Kershaw his Game 1 starter for the NLCS. Follow him with Vicente Padilla then open the road portion of the match with Randy Wolf.
The teams split their regular season meetings, each winning two in the other's park. That's the opposite of what happened in 2008 when they both two of three on their home turf. The 2009 series produced three one-run games and a pair of two-run contests. The only 'blowout' was a 10-7 win for the Halos at Dodger Stadium in May. That was also the only game of the six to go over 10 runs, with the totals going 4-9-17 in LA and 9-10-8 at the Big A.
The Angels will face the tall task of stopping the Yankees who also swept past the Minnesota Twins in the other LDS. Meanwhile the Dodgers await the winner of the Phillies-Rockies matchup that currently finds Philadelphia ahead two games to one.
So there's still a long way to get to a Freeway Series, but you have to like the matchup and it left me wondering what would happen if the two did meet.
Game 1, Anaheim: Angels-5 Dodgers-2
John Lackey and Clayton Kershaw hook up in a pitchers duel with the Dodgers out in front 2-1 through seven on the strength of an RBI double by Manny Ramirez and solo homer off the bat of Casey Blake. In the bottom of the eighth, Kershaw walks leadoff hitter Kendry Morales and is relieved by Ronald Belisario to face Torii Hunter who promptly goes deep to ignite a four-run inning for the Halos who closed -130 at the books with the Under 8 cashing as well.
Game 2, Anaheim: Dodgers-6 Angels-4 (10 inn)
Jered Weaver and the Angels jump to a 3-0 lead after two innings against Randy Wolf who then settles down and keeps the Dodgers in the game with four shutout innings after that. Meanwhile Russell Martin and Matt Kemp homer in the third and eighth and the game goes to extras tied 4-4. James Loney unloads with a two-run homer in the 10th off Brian Fuentes and Jonathan Broxton works a 1-2-3 10th to get the win after surviving a bases-full jam in the bottom of the ninth. The closing lines were Angels -145 and 9.
Game 3, Los Angeles: Dodgers-4 Angels-2
Vicente Padilla tosses another postseason gem, leaving with two outs in the top of the eighth and the Dodgers leading 4-1. Back-to-back solo shots in the first by Kemp and Andre Ethier off Joe Saunders push LA to an early lead on this Halloween Night, and it's all Padilla and the bullpen from there on. Broxton works around a walk and an error in the ninth for the save. The line opened with the Angels slight favorites at -115 but moved to the Dodgers -118 at close. The under cashed for a second time in the Series.
Game 4, Los Angeles: Angels-8 Dodgers-4
Scott Kazmir tosses seven, 1-run innings and Kendry Morales hits a slam in the fourth off Chad Billingsley that gives the Angels a 6-0 lead at the time. Kemp hits his third homer in as many games, a 3-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that makes the score closer than it really was. The Halos covered as -145 favorites and the Over 8½ was also a winner.
Game 5, Los Angeles: Angels-7 Dodgers-2
John Lackey tosses a three-hitter over eight innings and Juan Rivera has a homer and double to drive in three as the Angels take a 3-2 lead. Two of the three hits off Lackey were solo homers by Manny leading off the fourth and with two outs in the seventh. Three of the five runs charged to Kershaw are unearned thanks to errors by Blake and Furcal. The line opened just about a pick 'em and stayed there with the Dodgers closing -112 at most shop and the total at 8.
Game 6, Anaheim: Angels-5 Dodgers-2
What, did you expect me to end this with some wild Game 7 prediction where second base umpire Charlie Reliford misses an obvious call on a steal by Chone Figgins that opens the doors for the winning run in the ninth? No way. The missed call is actually by Hunter Wendelstedt in the sixth inning of Game 6 and ignites the winning rally for the Angels. With the Dodgers up 2-0 on a fifth inning dinger by Matt Kemp off Jered Weaver, Chone Figgins leads off against Wolf with a bunt single, is ruled safe at second on a steal when he was obviously out, and the wheels come off Torre and the Bums. Morales' two-run homer caps the five-run outburst, and the Angels bullpen snuffs LA after that. Weaver and the Halos get the cover at a -140 price, with the Under 8 also paying off.
