April 13, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) hits a single in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Editorial by: Graydon Fox

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Top 5 Winners:

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Overview:

On Sunday, July 8^th, the (45-39) Los Angeles Dodgers will be on the road to take on the (43-42) Los Angeles Angels.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Dodgers 5.7 – Angels 4.0 with an over/under of 9.7.

Starting Pitchers:

LAD: Alex Wood (5-5, 3.84) vs LAA: Andrew Heaney (4-6, 3.94)

Batting Stats:

Runs per game: Dodgers 4.84 (7^th) > Angels 4.41 (13^th)

Batting Average: Dodgers .245 (14^th) > Angels .244 (18^th)

On Base Percentage: Dodgers .325 (8^th) > Angels .316 (16^th)

Total Bases: Dodgers 1266 (6^th) > Angels 1212 (11^th)

Baserunning Stats:

Stolen Bases: Angels 38 (17^th) > Dodgers 30 (24^th)

Pitching Stats:

Team Earned Run Average: Dodgers 3.58 (6^th) > Angels 3.91 (13^th)

Batting Average Against: Dodgers .240 (12^th) > Angels .247 (16^th)

Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched: Dodgers 1.22 (12^th) > Angels 1.32 (16^th)

Strikeouts: Dodgers 805 (4^th) > Angels 773 (6^th)

Saves: Dodgers 26 (5^th) > Angels 20 (20^th)

Fielding Stats:

Errors: Angels 39 (5^th) > Dodgers 49 (17^th)

Summary:

The Dodgers enter the game ranking 7^th in runs per game (4.84) and 6^th in team earned run average (3.58).  The Dodgers are riding a three-game winning streak and are (6-4) in their last ten games.  The resurgence of Matt Kemp (.318, 15 HR, 55 RBI) has been huge for a Dodgers offense that lost Corey Seager for the entire season.  Youngster Max Muncy (.281, 20 HR, 38 RBI) has provided quite a power surge and has made up for some underperforming veterans.  The Dodgers rotation has more than pulled their weight this season but they have had trouble bridging the gap to dynamite closer Kenley Jansen.  The Dodgers will be up against Angels lefty Andrew Heaney (4-6, 3.94) who has been up and down this season.  Heaney is (1-1, 5.19) in his last three starts but has pitched very well at home this season (4-2, 2.18).

The Angels rank 13^th in runs per game (4.41) and 13^th in team ERA (3.91).  The Angels have struggled recently going just (2-8) in their last ten games.  Mike Trout (.310 AVG, .454 OBP, 24 HR, 49 RBI, 13 SB) has been otherworldly and is surely the frontrunner for American League MVP.  Andrelton Simmons (.318, 39 RBI) has had a nice offensive season while providing his usual gold glove defense at shortstop.  The injury to Shohei Otani was devasting from a pitching standpoint but he should be able to provide a nice boost to an offense that has been scuffling.  Injuries to Otani and Garrett Richards have crippled what looked like a very promising rotation at the beginning of the season.  The Angels will face off against Dodgers southpaw Alex Wood (5-5, 3.84).  Wood is (3-0, 2.37) in his last three starts and (2-3, 4.04) on the road this season.

Bottom Line:

The Dodgers are (21-16) on the road this season while the Angels are (20-21) at home.  The Angels are playing very poorly right now averaging just 3.1 runs per game over their last ten.  The Dodgers have the advantage in this pitching match-up and Wood has thrown the ball very well as of late.  I’m taking the Dodgers to win this one on the road.

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