Crosstown rivals trending in opposite directions collide as the Los Angeles Dodgers head down I-5 to kick off a two-game set with the streaking Los Angeles Angels. First pitch of the series opener on Tuesday night is set for 10:10 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium. Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw (8-4, 2.95 ERA) will get the ball for the Dodgers, while the Angels counter with lefty Reid Detmers (1-5, 4.48).
The Dodgers enter as -135 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Angels the +115 underdogs. The run total is set at 8.5.
Dodgers-Angels picks: Tuesday, June 20
Injury report
Dodgers
Day to day: UTIL Chris Taylor (knee)
Out: SP Julio Urias (hamstring), INF Max Muncy (hamstring), SP Noah Syndergaard (finger), RP Jimmy Nelson (elbow), RP Daniel Hudson (knee), Phil Bickford (back), SP Dustin May (forearm), OF Trayce Thompson (oblique)
Angels
Out: 3B Anthony Rendon (wrist), RP Matt Moore (oblique), 1B/3B Gio Urshela (pelvis), SS Zach Neto (oblique), RP Matt Joyce (elbow), SP/RP Jose Suarez (shoulder)
Starting pitchers
Clayton Kershaw vs. Reid Detmers
There was some concern circling around Kershaw after a mediocre (by his standards) May, but it’s safe to say that’s been put to bed. The lefty has a 1.80 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 20 innings across three starts in the month of June, as his slider and curveball remain as elite as ever. Kershaw’s command had slipped a bit earlier this season, but that appears to have just been a blip on the radar; this is still one of the very best pitchers in the game, even at age 35.
The talent has always been there for Detmers, and the lefty appears to be slowly putting it all together now. He’s allowed just two runs while striking out 16 in 11.2 innings over his last two starts, consistently elevating his four-seam fastball while burying his slider and curveball down and glove-side. When he’s commanding all of those offerings, his stuff is as good as anyone — his slider and curve carry whiff rates of 39% and 35%, respectively — but we’ve seen it come and go on a start-by-start basis before.
Over/Under pick
Both of these teams hit lefties very well (the Dodgers are fourth in team OPS against southpaws, the Angels seventh) and recent history is squarely on the side of the over here: The Dodgers have cleared this total in nine of their last 10, while the Angels have done so in five of their last eight. Still, I’m cutting the other way tonight. Kershaw has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 14 starts this year, and I think he’ll thrive again here — he’s 9-2 with a 2.13 career ERA against his crosstown rival. That puts a lot of pressure on the Dodgers to carry the over, and while Detmers is certainly no stranger to giving up crooked numbers, he’s been good of late, while the Dodgers lineup is averaging just over three runs a game over their last eight.
Pick: Under 8.5
Moneyline pick
All due respect to Kershaw, I’m backing the underdogs in this spot. I expect Detmers to keep the Angels in the game, if not match Kershaw outright, while the gap between the Angels bullpen and the Dodgers bullpen — not to mention the difference one swing from Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout can make — is big enough for me to take the chance with plus odds.
Pick: Angels
