Moneyline pick, best player prop for Dodgers vs. Angels on Friday

The first game of the 2021 Freeway Series takes place tonight at Angel Stadium. But both teams have been stuck in place like they are caught in a rush-hour traffic jam on the 405. The Dodgers have lost 13 of 17 games following their 13-2 start. And the Angels have lost 10 of 15 games, the most recent of which saw their bullpen allow seven runs in the eighth inning in an 8-3 home loss as they were swept by the Rays.

Dodgers vs. Angels, 9:38 p.m. ET

Moneyline pick: Dodgers (-159)

One of the biggest storylines revolving around the Dodgers currently is their rash of pitching injuries. But their starting rotation remains pretty formidable, and Julio Urias has a lot to do with that. The 24-year-old has a 27:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his past three starts. He has a 2.87 ERA this season. On the other side, Angels right-hander Griffin Canning has disappointed for most of the season; his ERA sits at 6.20. It’s just a matter of time before the Dodgers’ offense gets into gear, and a matchup versus Canning could jump-start them.

Player Prop: Shohei Ohtani OVER 0.5 RBIs (+160)

Mike Trout has the same line and both are interesting at that price, even against a high-quality pitcher such as Urias. Ohtani is hitting only .200 against lefties this year, but three of his 10 homers have come against them, including his 428-foot shot off of Rays left-hander Josh Fleming on Thursday. At this point, I just want to bet on Ohtani whenever and wherever because there appears to be nothing he can’t do. In a related note, Ohtani is +125 to score at least one run tonight.

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