Game Preview 6/22/12 — Freeway Friendly — Angels vs. Dodgers

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Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles (42-28) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (38-32)

Pitching Probables: LAD  –  Chad Billingsly (4-5, 3.75 ERA)  LAA – Dan Haren (4-7, 3.97 ERA)

The freeway series heads down the 5 to the confines of Angel Stadium with the Angels having already spanked the Dodgers last week taking 2 out of 3 at Chavez Prison, sorry, Revine. The thing with this series is that although it’s supposed to be a rivalry, there hasn’t been any real animosity since Chan Ho Park tried to drop kick Tim Belcher a few years back. Sure, the fans don’t care for one another, but for the players it’s just another game on the calendar.

Dan Haren is back on the bump after getting beat down by the Diamonbacks and having been generally uneven all season. Haren has been inconsistent mostly because he hasn’t been able to put people away after getting ahead in the count. His split finger has not had the usual bite from last year, which has lead to him getting shelled. This means that the Halo offense will need to show up tonight against Chad Billingsley, who has also struggled lately.

This would be a good weekend for Mike Trout to really break into the national spotlight (even though most people will be focused on the Subway Series in New York), with a big series. I also expect a lot from Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo. This is the time of the year when good players play well and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Angels leap all over their neighbors from the north for at least two wins this weekend.