Angels and Dodgers to wrap up latest Freeway Series

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06/17/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelvim Escobar will try continue his strong start to the season as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wrap up a three-game interleague set with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the latest edition of the Freeway Series from Dodger Stadium.

Escobar, who came into the 2007 campaign with a 25-28 record in three seasons as an Angel, is off to a strong start and currently ranks sixth in the AL with a 2.89 earned run average. The veteran right-hander has yielded just 10 earned runs in 38 innings over his last five starts, with five of those runs coming in a loss to Baltimore on May 31.

On Tuesday, Escobar failed to earn a decision in a 5-3 loss at Cincinnati after allowing three earned runs and five hits over six innings of work. He walked just one while striking out a career-high 14 batters. It was the most strikeouts by an Angel since Chuck Finley fanned 15 against the Yankees in 1995.

In three career starts against the Dodgers, Escobar is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. He picked up the win against the Dodgers on May 20th, allowing just three hits over eight scoreless innings of a 4-1 triumph.

Taking the hill for the Dodgers today will be Randy Wolf, who has earned victories in five of his last six decisions. On Monday, the left-hander defeated the Mets by yielding three earned runs and nine hits over six innings in a 5-3 Los Angeles triumph.

Wolf, who is 6-2 with a 3.62 ERA in nine home starts this season, has never faced the Angels in his career.

On Saturday, Jered Weaver tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings to win his fifth consecutive decision as the Angels blanked the Dodgers, 3-0.

Weaver (6-3) yielded four hits and four walks while striking out three for the Angels, who have won three of their last four and 10 of 14.

The Angels scored all of their runs in the fifth-inning, highlighted by a Reggie Willits two-RBI single and a run-scoring hit from Howie Kendrick.

After retiring the first two batters of the fifth, Dodgers starter Jason Schmidt got into trouble. He plunked Vladimir Guerrero before Gary Matthews Jr. singled to right and Casey Kotchman walked to load the bases for Willits, who singled to right to plate Guerrero and Matthews.

Schmidt (1-4) went 4 2/3 frames, allowing three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out two for the Dodgers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Angels swept the Dodgers in a three-game set in Anaheim last month, outscoring their area rivals 19-4 in the process. However, the Angels have lost five of the last six games as the visitor in this series.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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