(Best E Casino) - Joe Saunders goes after win No. 13 this evening when the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim kick off a 10-game road trip with the first of three games against the
Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
However, in a year where the home field has been a huge advantage all around the league, the Angels actually have a higher winning percentage on the road than they do at home with a major league-best 31-18 mark away from Anaheim.
Los Angeles enters tonight's matchup after taking the final two games of its three-game series with the Cleveland Indians, including a 14-11 triumph in Wednesday's rubber match. Jeff Mathis smacked a grand slam and drove in six runs, as the Angels rattled off 19 hits and had three players finish with at least four hits for the first time in franchise history.
Mathis was 4-for-5 at the plate, while Casey Kotchman had a hit in all five of his at-bats.
Howie Kendrick was also 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI to help LA win for the seventh time in its last eight tries, while upping its lead in the AL West to 10 games over the Oakland Athletics.
The offense made a winner of John Lackey (8-2), who struggled to allow six runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts through five innings.
Saunders, meanwhile, will be trying to match Cleveland's Cliff Lee and New York's Mike Mussina for the league lead in wins with a victory tonight. Saunders, who is 12-5 with a 3.05 earned run average, pitched well on Saturday against Boston, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 4-2 win, despite allowing just two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The 27-year-old left-hander defeated the Orioles earlier in the season and is perfect 3-0 lifetime against them with a 5.63 ERA in three starts.
Baltimore will counter with a 27-year-old lefty of its own in Brian Burres, who is 7-6 with a 5.02 ERA. Burres was charged with the loss on Sunday against Detroit, as he surrendered three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 frames.
Burres is also undefeated in his career against the Halos, going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts.
Baltimore dropped the final three games of its four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, including two losses on Thursday. The O's dropped a 5-1 decision in the completion of Wednesday's suspended game, while falling 7-1 in the scheduled finale.
The Orioles dropped two of three to the Angels earlier in the season.