SPORTS BETTING

• AL Championship Series Update

  Posted on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  The American League Championship Series swings to the opposite coast for Games 3 and 4. And not a moment too soon for the Los Angeles Angels, who trail the New York Yankees 2-0 in the ALCS after a heartbreaking extra-innings loss in Game 2 Saturday night.
   
  Oddsmakers have priced Los Angeles as a -133 home favorite for Game 3 Monday. New York is set at +123.
   
  The Angels had plenty of chances to head home with the series locked at one game apiece. However, they made costly mistakes that led to a 4-3 Yankees win. Los Angeles committed two errors to New York's three in the rain and cold of Yankee Stadium, but a throwing error in the 13th sealed the team's fate and dug the Halos a big hole to climb out of with the series heading out west.
   
  Los Angeles has committed five total errors in the first two games of the ALCS. It made three in Game 1, giving up two unearned runs in the process. The two errors on Saturday led to one unearned score which just happened to be the game-winner. The Halos made just one fielding error in their opening series with the Boston Red Sox and hope returning to the warm weather of Anaheim can help get their defense back on track. They ranked eighth in fewest errors with 84 on the year.
   
  While Maicer Izturis' throwing error in extras gave the Yankees the win, New York's victory wouldn't have been possible without an 11th-inning home run from Alex Rodriguez which tied the game 3-3. Rodriguez continues to be the difference-maker for the Yankees. Heading into the postseason, he was hitless in his last 18 postseason at-bats and boasted a .136 batting average (8-for-59) in the playoffs since 2004.
   
  Rodriguez is putting those past Octobers behind him. He's hitting .368 with three home runs and eight RBI in five 2009 postseason games. But he's also been timely, with all three of those home runs coming in the seventh inning or later to tie the score. A-Rod should be looking forward to the swing to California. He hit .364 with five home runs and nine RBI in 22 at-bats at Angel Stadium this season.
   
  The poor fielding and hot bats may be stealing all the headlines in this series, but it has been the guys on the mound making the real impact. Both teams have been getting great outings from their starting staff. Andy Pettitte will toe the rubber for New York in Game 3. The veteran southpaw was stellar in his first postseason game of 2009. He pitched just over six innings versus the Minnesota Twins, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out seven batters.
   
  Pettitte is hoping his woes against the Angels in the regular season don't carry over. He was 0-2 in three starts against Los Angeles with a hefty 7.88 ERA. He was beat up for six runs in a little over four innings of work at Angel Stadium in July but followed that with a three-run allowance through six innings in late September, which the Yankees lost 5-2.
   
  Pettitte will square off against an Angels lineup that is hitting just .211 in the postseason and just .154 in the ALCS. Los Angeles' best bat has been Torii Hunter, who is hitting .333 versus the Yankees but has yet to register a home run or RBI. Slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who came to life against the Red Sox, has just two hits in 11 at-bats for three total bases but zero RBI and home runs. New York's bullpen has also been drum tight, giving up just three earned runs and posting an ERA of 1.56 – second only to Los Angeles’ relievers at 1.29 ERA this postseason.
   
  The Angels hand the ball to right-handed starter Jered Weaver, who was lights-out in his first start of the 2009 playoffs. Weaver held Boston's powerful order to just one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in over seven innings of work. At home this season he was 10-3 with a 2.72 ERA, and in his three starts against the Yankees Weaver posted a record of 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA.
   
  His most recent appearance against the Bronx Bombers was a 7 1-3-inning effort in which he allowed three earned runs on seven hits but was let down by the bullpen in a 5-3 loss. Weaver allowed a home run in that appearance, bringing his total to 12 dingers allowed in just seven career starts versus New York.
   
  Game 3's total is set at 8.5 runs. Both games this series have played under the total while the over/under is 1-5 in their last six meetings.