MLB Weekend Odds
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay makes his first start since pitching the 20th perfect game in MLB history. Halladay hosts the San Diego Padres on Friday night for the start of a four-game set.
Halladay is a -200 favorite over San Diego’s Mat Latos at BroburySports.com.
The Phillies really struggled on a nine-game road trip against NL East rivals Atlanta, Florida and the NY Mets. The bats went absolutely dormant, and Halladay only got one run of support in his historic outing.
San Diego continues to surprise by leading the NL West. This team wins with good pitching, both the starters and the bullpen. The Padres are 14-9 on the road this year, but have a tough opening challenge against the Phils’ ace.
Atlanta Braves at L.A. Dodgers
L.A.’s Clayton Kershaw is a -165 favorite on Friday over Kenshin Kawakami.
This is a four-game series that began Thursday night in Southern California. Atlanta has come out of nowhere to take over first place in the NL East. Hitting has been the key as they led the NL in runs scored in May after finishing 14th in April. Kawakami and Derek Lowe have also pitched much better.
The Dodgers are in a fierce battle in the NL West. San Diego has played much better than expected, and Colorado and San Francisco both pose problems. L.A. is playing solid baseball heading into this weekend, and is thrilled to have triple-crown candidate Andre Ethier (finger) back in the lineup.
This is the first meeting between the teams this year. Atlanta went 3-1 in Los Angeles last season.
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics
Oakland’s Dallas Braden and Minnesota’s Scott Baker are Even odds on Friday.
This is the marquee weekend matchup in the American League. Oakland will be tired after returning home from a 10-game road trip. That includes a Thursday game in Boston, which means a long plane ride. The AL West contending A’s are finally getting healthy and are 18-9 at home this season.
Minnesota has opened up a solid lead over Detroit in the AL Central. The Twins are also 18-9 at home, taking advantage of the shiny, new Target Field. They’re just around .500 on the road, and are in Seattle before heading to the Bay Area.
Minnesota and Oakland are meeting for the first time this year. The Twins went 3-4 in Oakland last year.
Posted: 6/3/10 1:10AM ET