Angels, Dodgers square off at Chavez Ravine

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06/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Kazmir goes after his third straight win this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue their three-game Freeway Series with the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Kazmir won for the third time in his last four starts on Monday with a brilliant effort in Oakland that saw him surrender a run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

After starting the year with two wins through his first six decisions, Kazmir has evened his mark at 5-5 and has allowed just two runs in his last two starts to lower his earned run average on the year to 5.40.

Kazmir did not get a decision in his only other start to the Dodgers back in 2007 while with Tampa Bay, but gave up three runs in six innings of that one.

The Angels continued to have success at Chavez Ravine in the opener of this set on Friday, as Joel Pineiro threw his third complete game of the season while Howie Kendrick went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, helping the Halos to a 10-1 win.

Pineiro (5-6) gave up the one run on five hits and a walk, and struck out seven, and was backed by an offense that pounded out 13 hits. Erick Aybar had three, while Torii Hunter went 2-for-3 with a three-run double.

Hideki Matsui also had a three-run double for the Angels, who were coming off a four-game series split with Oakland.

"I felt good all the way and I kept the ball down," Pineiro said. "[Catcher Mike] Napoli called a great game. We had clutch hits from Matsui and Torii. It was a good game all around."

Chad Billingsley (6-4) surrendered seven runs in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss, which stopped the Dodgers' four-game win streak. The Dodgers have now lost six of their last nine at home in this series.

"I felt good out there, they just found holes," Billingsley said. "I had good command but I didn't get the job done today."

The Dodgers will pin their hopes tonight on 24-year-old right-hander John Ely, who is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Ely has not received a decision in either of his last two starts and was roughed up a bit by the Atlanta Braves in his last trip to the hill.

Atlanta reached Ely for four runs and nine hits in five innings on Sunday, but he escaped without a decision in his team's 5-4 win.

This will be his first start against the Angels.

These teams have split six overall meetings in each of the past two seasons. The Angels took two of three games from the Dodgers as the visitor in last year's series.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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