Around The Halo 5/22/09

Interleague play is back this weekend as the Angels head to Chavez Ravine to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With a 21-19 record, the second place Angels face the NL West leading Dodgers (29-13). Angels are 2 games back of Texas while the Dodgers hold a 9 game lead over San Francisco.

This weekends series will showcase some of the better starting pitching in baseball.

Fri: Jered Weaver (3-2, 2.59 ERA) vs Clayton Kershaw (4-2, 4.60 ERA)
Saturday: John Lackey (1-0, 9.00 ERA) vs Randy Wolf (2-1, 2.72 ERA)
Sunday: Matt Palmer (5-0, 4.26 ERA) vs Chad Billingsley (6-1, 2.15 ERA)

Both teams will be without their All Star sluggers as Vladimir Guerrero will be playing for Rancho Cucamunga on a rehab assignment and is expected back with the club Monday night against Chicago. Meanwhile Manny Ramirez is sitting at home waiting out his 50 game suspension for testing positive for PEDs.

For the Angels it is expected that Bobby Abreu (toe) will likely sit out the series as a starter but could pinch hit.

LA Times writers Mike DiGiovanna & Dylan Hernandez take a look at the calming influence that Mike Scioscia and Joe Torre bring to their teams.

Fact of the day - John Lackey holds the second best ERA in Interleague history at 2.52 behind Johan Santana at 2.49.

RADIO - All games on KLAA 830, KFWB, KWKW 1330
TV - Friday FSW / Sat & Sun KCOP 13