The Los Angeles Angels (45-44) and Los Angeles Dodgers (49-38) meet for a brief two-game Freeway Series before the onset of the All-Star Break.
Despite hailing from the same city, these two teams are quite a different tale lately. The Halos are limping in after losing seven of their last eight games, while the Dodgers are strutting their stuff with three wins in their last four outings.
Looking at the MLB odds, the home team is favored to maintain its dominance in this matchup after winning each of the last eight meetings.
Read on for my best bet and full MLB picks and predictions for Angels vs. Dodgers on Friday, July 7.
Angels vs Dodgers odds
Angels vs Dodgers predictions
The Angels are reeling entering this contest after getting swept by the San Diego Padres and winning just one of their last eight games. This will be their second straight series on the road. While the travel may not be much, playing at Dodger Stadium might be — the Halos have lost four straight when playing at their crosstown rivals’ home park.
Health is another concern. Mike Trout is out four to eight weeks with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, while Anthony Rendon is considered questionable after he fouled a ball off his shin on Tuesday and hasn’t seen the field since.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are in fine form after taking three of four games from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dave Roberts’ squad has absolutely dominated this series, winning 15 of the prior 18 meetings.
They’ll face Angels starter Griffin Canning, who has some concerning aspects about his profile. He’s allowing a ton of hard contact, ranking in the ninth percentile in average exit velocity and in the 13th percentile in HardHit%. He’s mostly been reliant on the strikeout (24% K-rate), which has worked against lesser opponents but will be difficult to do in this matchup.
The Boys in Blue have mashed right-handed pitching lately, posting a 132 wRC+ and .367 wOBA across the last 10 days. They also rarely strikeout, posting the eight-lowest K-rate (19.6%) in that span.
Tony Gonsolin gets the nod for the Dodgers, and will it’ll be a nice bounce-back spot at home against a depleted Angels lineup. The Halos rank in the bottom third in wRC+ (99) and wOBA (.317) during their 1-7 stretch while posting the highest K-rate (29.3%) in the league by a wide margin.
The price on the Dodgers moneyline is justifiably wide at -180. I’ll target the -1.5 run line instead for better odds at +115. They’ve won eight straight in the Freeway Series and all eight have come by two runs or more.
My best bet: Dodgers -1.5 (+115 at DraftKings)
Angels vs Dodgers same-game parlay
Dodgers -1.5
Dodgers Over 4.5 Team Total
Freedie Freeman 2+ Total Bases
This SGP will feature three correlated plays that bring the total price to +320. Our first leg involves taking the Dodgers at -1.5 on the run line for plus money, as outlined above in the best bet section.
If the home team is going to win this game by at least two runs, then it’s likely that involves having a successful day at the plate. They face a starter in Canning who is allowing a ton of hard contact, which isn’t a great recipe when facing a potent Dodger lineup with the wind blowing out at 10.3 mph.
The last leg involves taking Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman to record 2+ total bases. He’s averaged exactly two total bases across his last 10 games and is in fine form. If his team has a successful day at the plate, it’s highly likely that Freeman is involved in that output.
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Angels vs Dodgers moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Dodgers currently range from -165 to -180 on the moneyline depending, on the book. The best comeback on the Halos is +160. Be sure to shop around using our MLB odds tool to ensure that you grab the best price available before placing your wager.
This has been a very lopsided series as the Dodgers have won eight straight, including four in a row at home. They typically get out to a hot start in, going 69-28 in their last 97 during Game 1 of a series. This lineup has crushed righties and therefore it should not be surprising that they are 80-31 in their last 111 home games against right-handed starting pitchers.
The Halos, meanwhile, have not had a great time in interleague play. They’ve won just one of their last eight against the National League and are 7-21 in their last 28 games against a NL team with a winning record.
The total is set at a flat 9 across most books. Weather could have an impact, as the forecast calls for winds of 10.3 mph blowing out to right field.
While that would normally make me inclined to target the Over, there are so many question marks surrounding this Angels lineup that I can’t confidently target the total.
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Trend to know
The Dodgers have won 15 of the last 18 meetings with the Angels. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Dodgers
Angels vs Dodgers game info
| Location: | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA |
| Date: | Friday, July 7, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 10:10 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BSW, SNLA |
Starting pitchers
Griffin Canning (6-3, 4.29 ERA): Canning strung together seven straight starts in which he allowed no more than three earned runs. That all came crashing to a halt when he was blasted for five earned by the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last start. His 3.94 xERA is the lowest it's been in his four-year career, although his 4.54 FIP isn’t quite as sterling.
Tony Gonsolin (4-3, 3.69 ERA): Gonsolin has been playing with fire all season as his xERA (4.55) and FIP (4.49) were both two runs higher than his actual ERA for a while. That’s started to level out as batters have cashed in lately, tagging him for 15 earned runs across his last three starts. His velocity and strikeouts are both down and he’s allowing a ton of barrels.
