Yovani Gallardo (5-6, 3.45 ERA) and Carlos Frias (4-3, 3.86 ERA) take the hill in the first of a two-game series between the Texas Rangers (33-30) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (37-26) at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 15 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and FSN-SW.
Gallardo is 2-4 with a 5.23 ERA in his appearances against the Dodgers, and goes up against a quality Los Angeles offense which is batting .258 this season. Mitch Moreland (.308, 19 Rs, 8 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Frias went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out three and walking one in a 3-1 defeat to the Diamondbacks in his last outing. Adrian Gonzalez (.313, 37 Rs, 11 HRs, 43 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Dodgers, going 2 for 5 yesterday with three RBIs.
Los Angeles is a narrow -115 favorite over Texas. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +1,325 and a record as the underdog of 28-26. In interleague play, they have a 1-1 record when they were the underdog and 1-1 SU. The Rangers have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the NL, averaging 6.0 runs per game. They average 4.6 runs per game on the season. Texas’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 3.3 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.4.
In games where it is the favorite, Los Angeles has a 33-23 record and an overall money line of +five. Los Angeles is undefeated against teams in the AL. They have a 2-0 record as the favorite and 3-0 SU. Offensively, they average 4.4 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. The Dodgers have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 201 extra base hits. Los Angeles is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 3.5 per game. The Dodgers allow 3.5 runs per game, but does worse whenever an AL opponent is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 4.0 against teams from the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Dodgers are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season. The Dodgers have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.5 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Rangers have a 23-18 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Frias takes the mound. Gallardo (RHP) will be on the hill against the Dodgers, who have a 33-20 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers and the Dodgers are both 3-2 in games that go into extra innings.
The Dodgers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are heading in with a 13-7 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 26-5. The Rangers have a 26-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top five of the league based on total runs this season, Texas ranks second with 289 runs and Los Angeles is fifth with 278.
Ranking eighth, Texas is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 197 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 227.
The Rangers are 25-13 when they hit at least one home run. The Dodgers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 31-14 record.
