Angels at Dodgers / Dodgers at Angels (May 27 5:10pm, May 28 7:10pm, May 29 7:05pm, May 30 7:05pm)
What a week this will be. Finally, the Freeway Series has rolled around. Had you predicted where these teams would be by May 27, it would not be at their current spots. While the Dodgers are at the bottom of the National League West, the Angels are in third in the American League West; however, the Halos have received a ton of help via their eight game win streak.
Right off the bat, the Angels will get to face a familiar face -- Zack Greinke. Greinke sits next to Clayton Kershaw as the leaders of this Dodgers rotation (but they won't face the true ace). Greinke has returned from a broken clavicle, courtesty of Carlos Quentin, and likely wants to show Arte Moreno & Co. what they are missing out on. Well, it hasn't been too much. In his last start, he was battered by his other former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, and was handed his first loss at Miller Park, giving up five runs. After the Greinke showdown, the Angels have... Joe Blanton pitching! But the good bad news turns great, Jered Weaver is slated to return on Wednesday! Yes, the Angels ace is coming back!
Look for the Angels bats to be hot because this team has had help from everybody in the lineup. Even Josh Hamilton has done a little something. Will the winning streak extend into this series? I sure hope so!
Projected Starting Pitchers -- Wilson/Greinke, Blanton/Ryu, Capuano/Weaver, Lilly/Vargas
Astros at Angels (May 31 7:05pm, June 1 7:05pm, June 2 12:35pm, June 3 7:05pm)
The good part: Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and especially Josh Hamilton have been excellent against the Astros this season. The bad part: last time out against Houston, the Angels pitching was really bad. Maybe Bo Porter will try this again? And maybe, just maybe the Angels will watch out for Chris Carter like I said to last time! Anyways, let's see the bats come out again for this series! Especially since this is a lenghty series.
Projected Starting Pitchers -- TBD/Williams, TBD/Wilson, TBD/Blanton, TBD/Weaver
The push for the playoffs continues on!