MLB Betting Odds: Lackey Returns to Anaheim to Face Angels
Things could get a bit emotional for John Lackey tonight when he makes his first start on the mound at the Big A as a visitor in Game 2 of the Red Sox, Angels series.
The Los Angeles Angels and their fans got to see their new pitcher on Monday night. It's unclear now when the Angels will see Dan Haren on the mound again after he took a liner off his right forearm in the fifth inning of Los Angeles' 6-3 loss to the Red Sox as 125 baseball favorites.
Haren's debut with the Angels didn't go quite like he wanted it to, that's for sure. Acquired from Arizona over the weekend, Haren didn't pitch badly with Boston ahead just 2-1 when he was nailed and had to leave the game. Haren had already recorded eight strikeouts at the time, and it was shaping up to be a pretty good duel between the LA newcomer and Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz.
All signs point to Haren's arm being fine with just a bruise and he should be able to make his next start this weekend when the Halos host the Rangers in a big AL West showdown.
Game 2 of the series will also feature an intriguing pitching matchup with John Lackey (11-9, 4.36) going against Jered Weaver (11-10, 3.22). Baseball oddsmakers set the initial line with the Angels favored around minus 135 to minus 140. Tuesday's scoreboard betting total opened at 8 ½.
Lackey won 102 games and a ring with the Angels in his first eight big league seasons, so this will obviously be a strange setting for him coming out of the visitors dugout. At least he has his first meeting against his old mates behind him, beating the Angels 3-1 in Boston back in May as a minus 160 favorite.
The big right-hander out of Abilene, Texas is coming off two good outings his last pair of starts. Lackey no-decisioned in each, but the Red Sox came home winners against Texas and at Seattle. He worked a combined 15 innings in those games and allowed just two earned runs. The win at Safeco last Thursday was the first time Boston won a road start by Lackey since May 26.
The last two years in an Angels uniform found Lackey pitching better on the road than at the Big A. His final 25 regular season starts here resulted in a 13-12 mark for the Halos with Lackey's ERA at 4.06. His ERA was about a half-run lower, 3.52, on the road those two seasons.
Weaver has been brilliant at home this season with a 1.80 ERA and 66/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Angels Stadium in nine starts. LA is 6-3 in those contests, including a win the last time Weaver pitched at home over the Mariners, 3-2.
He didn't get to the hill in Boston when the clubs met in May but saw the Red Sox three times in 2009, including the playoffs. Weaver hurled a gem in Game 2 of last October's ALDS, working into the eighth and allowing one run on two hits with seven strikeouts. Los Angles, a slight minus 110 favorite, took the game by a 4-1 count.
Weaver also picked up a win in Game 3 of the 2008 ALDS in Boston, pitching the final two innings of the Angels 5-4 win that went 11 frames.
James Hoye makes his 19th trip behind the plate for this one carrying a strong 13-5 'under' lean into Tuesday night. Games with totals in the 8½-10 range are 8-3 to the low side with Hoye calling the pitches.
Skies are supposed to be partly cloudy Tuesday night in Anaheim with a first-pitch temp very likely in the upper-60s after a daytime high of 75 forecast. Winds are listed 5-10 mph out of the WSW (3B on-deck circle out to right-center).
This three-game set concludes Wednesday with afternoon (12:35 p.m. PT) with Josh Beckett (6-3, 6.67) on the mound for the Red Sox against Joel Pineiro (13-7, 4.18). Both teams will have Thursday off before resuming play this weekend. The Halos will remain in Anaheim to open a big set with the Texas Rangers on Friday. Boston heads home to take on the Detroit Tigers.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season.
Things could get a bit emotional for John Lackey tonight when he makes his first start on the mound at the Big A as a visitor in Game 2 of the Red Sox, Angels series.
The Los Angeles Angels and their fans got to see their new pitcher on Monday night. It's unclear now when the Angels will see Dan Haren on the mound again after he took a liner off his right forearm in the fifth inning of Los Angeles' 6-3 loss to the Red Sox as 125 baseball favorites.
Haren's debut with the Angels didn't go quite like he wanted it to, that's for sure. Acquired from Arizona over the weekend, Haren didn't pitch badly with Boston ahead just 2-1 when he was nailed and had to leave the game. Haren had already recorded eight strikeouts at the time, and it was shaping up to be a pretty good duel between the LA newcomer and Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz.
All signs point to Haren's arm being fine with just a bruise and he should be able to make his next start this weekend when the Halos host the Rangers in a big AL West showdown.
Game 2 of the series will also feature an intriguing pitching matchup with John Lackey (11-9, 4.36) going against Jered Weaver (11-10, 3.22). Baseball oddsmakers set the initial line with the Angels favored around minus 135 to minus 140. Tuesday's scoreboard betting total opened at 8 ½.
Lackey won 102 games and a ring with the Angels in his first eight big league seasons, so this will obviously be a strange setting for him coming out of the visitors dugout. At least he has his first meeting against his old mates behind him, beating the Angels 3-1 in Boston back in May as a minus 160 favorite.
The big right-hander out of Abilene, Texas is coming off two good outings his last pair of starts. Lackey no-decisioned in each, but the Red Sox came home winners against Texas and at Seattle. He worked a combined 15 innings in those games and allowed just two earned runs. The win at Safeco last Thursday was the first time Boston won a road start by Lackey since May 26.
The last two years in an Angels uniform found Lackey pitching better on the road than at the Big A. His final 25 regular season starts here resulted in a 13-12 mark for the Halos with Lackey's ERA at 4.06. His ERA was about a half-run lower, 3.52, on the road those two seasons.
Weaver has been brilliant at home this season with a 1.80 ERA and 66/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Angels Stadium in nine starts. LA is 6-3 in those contests, including a win the last time Weaver pitched at home over the Mariners, 3-2.
He didn't get to the hill in Boston when the clubs met in May but saw the Red Sox three times in 2009, including the playoffs. Weaver hurled a gem in Game 2 of last October's ALDS, working into the eighth and allowing one run on two hits with seven strikeouts. Los Angles, a slight minus 110 favorite, took the game by a 4-1 count.
Weaver also picked up a win in Game 3 of the 2008 ALDS in Boston, pitching the final two innings of the Angels 5-4 win that went 11 frames.
James Hoye makes his 19th trip behind the plate for this one carrying a strong 13-5 'under' lean into Tuesday night. Games with totals in the 8½-10 range are 8-3 to the low side with Hoye calling the pitches.
Skies are supposed to be partly cloudy Tuesday night in Anaheim with a first-pitch temp very likely in the upper-60s after a daytime high of 75 forecast. Winds are listed 5-10 mph out of the WSW (3B on-deck circle out to right-center).
This three-game set concludes Wednesday with afternoon (12:35 p.m. PT) with Josh Beckett (6-3, 6.67) on the mound for the Red Sox against Joel Pineiro (13-7, 4.18). Both teams will have Thursday off before resuming play this weekend. The Halos will remain in Anaheim to open a big set with the Texas Rangers on Friday. Boston heads home to take on the Detroit Tigers.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season.
