The Los Angeles Angels are in the Windy City tonight to open a three game set with American League Central leader Chicago. This evening’s series opener between the two AL powers is scheduled to get underway at 8:10pm ET at U.S. Cellular Field. MLB Odds at offshore bookmaker Bovada.lv have the visiting Angels listed as a -138 moneyline favorite while the White Sox are drawing +128 odds to win tonight’s game. The Over/Under for this evening’s contest is set at nine runs.
Los Angeles generated a great deal of buzz in the off-season, inking Albert Pujols to a mega-contract, and it did so again at the trade deadline, acquiring former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Thus far neither move has yielded the type of results the Angels expected, but that does not mean they will not. Los Angeles owns a winning record at 57-49 and it presently occupies the No. 2 Wild Card spot; however, after a 9-11 start to the season’s second half, the Angels are five games back of AL West leader Texas and a half game back of the second place A’s.
Greinke took the loss in his first outing for the Angels, despite striking out eight batters and giving up just two earned runs over seven innings to the Rays. Greinke, who is 9-4 with a 3.39 ERA this season, will take the hill for the second time as an Angel this evening. He is familiar with the White Sox from his days as a Royal, but he most recently faced Chicago on June 22nd as a member of the Brewers. The eight year veteran was masterful in the inter-league outing, limiting the Sox to three hits and no earned runs over nine innings in a 1-0 Milwaukee win at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago, which at 57-47 holds a 2.5 game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central, will counter Greinke with 29 year old Philip Humber. Humber tossed a perfect game at Seattle in his second start of the season, but he has struggled, for the most part, since that performance. He did show will in his last appearance, though, holding the mighty Rangers to four hits and one earned run over six innings to help the White Sox earn a 5-2 victory at Texas. Humber’s ERA dropped to 5.90 and his record improved to 5-5 as a result of the strong outing.
While that start may be a comfort to Sox fans, Humber’s home numbers are not. The Texas native is 0-3 with a 6.93 ERA in seven starts (White Sox are 1-6 in those games) at U.S. Cellular Field this season.
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MLB Odds 2012 Los Angeles Angels vs Chicago White Sox: Provided by Bovada.lv
Los Angeles Angels -1.5 (+110), Over 9 (-110), -138 (Moneyline)
Chicago White Sox +1.5 (-130), Under 9 (-110), +128 (Moneyline)
