For those people in the “Golden State” that won’t be watching the Los Angeles Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs, there’s always an alternative. LA’s skipper Joe Torre, is having a lot of more fun (and success) out west, than his former bench coach and team, Joe Girardi and the last-place New York Yankees. The Los Angeles Dodgers (24-21) are currently in second place in the National League West, only 4 Games Behind the red-hot Arizona Diamiondbacks (28-17), which will be taking on the (25-19) Florida Marlins tonight, down in south Florida. SBGglobal.com has in my MLB Betting Prediction the Los Angeles Dodgers a -140 odds favorite to sweep the Cincinnati Reds (+130) and the O/U in runs has been set at a combined 8 ½ total.
The Dodgers will try to complete the sweep of this 3-game-home-set against the Cincinnati Reds, and make it a 14-9 record at Dodger Stadium in SO Cal. The Dodgers are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and must secure a W tonight at home and against an inferior Reds team. 
This game becomes a must-win, because the LAD will end the month (of May), with the toughest schedule in baseball.
And you can bet, their skipper has made them well aware of the importance of tonight’s contest.
After tonight, Torre and the Dodgers will play: the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Mets. This will be a real test and an early indicator of how the blue team, squares-off against the elite NL teams.
Tonight’s pitching match-up, for the visiting Cincinnati Reds, the Dominican-born RHP:
Johnny Cueto
Age: 22
2008 Record: 2-4
ERA: 5.75
Strikeouts: 53
For the home team, is the Japanese-born RHP:
Hiroki Kuroda
Age: 33
2008 Record: 1-3
ERA: 3.67
Strikeouts: 31
As his ERA indicates, Hiroki Kuroda comes into tonight’s ball game pitching very well; he just hasn’t received much offensive support in his starts. Kuroda comes in tonight with 4 No Decisions in his last 5 starts. He is throwing the ball well. Expect the Dodgers to provide him with some much-needed, and well-deserved offense, and catapult him to a win.
