Cooling Off Detroit
The Los Angeles Angels finally cooled off the streaking Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Now the Tigers will try to return the favor.
The visiting Angels will look to win their fourth straight game for the first time this season on Saturday, one day after Los Angeles ended Detroit’s season-high four-game winning streak.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Detroit -129 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 10.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 68% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -129 (View MLB Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
The Tigers (10-14) had scored 37 runs in their last three games before Friday, but the Angels permitted them just six hits in a 4-3 victory.
Now, it’s the Angels (15-9) who’ve won three in a row after taking the last two games of a series at Boston this week. Los Angeles already has four three-game winning streaks this season – including three in the past 12 games – but has not yet managed a fourth consecutive win.
Both teams were expected to be among the top AL contenders this season, and both seem to have recovered from mediocre – or worse – starts. The Angels have won nine of 12 after starting 6-6, and the Tigers have won eight of 12 after their dismal 2-10 opening.
For Detroit, Curtis Granderson has now homered in consecutive games and has six runs and four RBIs in three games this year after missing the start of the season with a broken finger. The Tigers’ bullpen, despite still missing Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya, has pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, hasn’t won any of its last three games by more than two runs, but the Angels have benefited from timely hitting and three saves over that span from closer Francisco Rodriguez. Friday, they scored all four of their runs in the fourth inning, including a two-run home run by Vladimir Guerrero – his first in 13 games.
They’ve also gotten wins from each of their last three starters, a streak Dustin Moseley (1-2, 7.78 ERA) will look to continue. The right-hander, filling a hole in the rotation while John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar remain on the disabled list, has allowed at least four runs in all four of his starts, failing to complete five innings in each of the last two.
Moseley allowed four runs on eight hits in 4 2-3 innings against Seattle on Sunday, taking the loss.
"It seems like every mistake is being magnified for me," Moseley said. "There are times when you’re going so good and you make a mistake and the ball is hit at people, or they’re missing them or popping them up. For me right now, it’s the opposite. Hopefully that will change."
He’ll face Detroit’s unlikely co-leader in wins. Armando Galarraga is the only Tigers starter with two victories, having won both his starts as he fills in for the injured Dontrelle Willis.
Galarraga (2-0, 1.50) had made only one career start and had no wins before this year, but he has allowed just two earned runs on only four hits in 12 innings, striking out 10. He beat Toronto with 5 1-3 shutout innings Monday, again refusing to allow a hit to right-handed batters – who are 0-for-21 against him.
"He’s got a good sinker, a good slider," Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. "He was able to use them today and make the right-handed hitters hit the ball on the ground."
The Angels will also be looking for their fifth straight win against Detroit after sweeping the teams’ last series of 2007.