Angels hope to break out of slump against Braves

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05/20/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The slumping LA Angels of Anaheim hope to feast on some National League pitching when they kick off interleague play tonight in the opener of a three-game series versus the Atlanta Braves from the Big A.

The Angels enter this series having lost five straight and seven of eight games, and haven't faced the Braves since losing two of three matchups at home from June 13-15, 2008. The Halos took two of three at Turner Field during the 2005 campaign and are 138-109 against the National League. Anaheim has won 25 of its last 36 interleague games and was 11-7 against the NL last year. It is 119-78 in interleague play since the 2000 season.

Atlanta is 119-107 against the American League.

Anaheim was swept in back-to-back two-game sets at Oakland and Seattle, and will begin a seven-game homestand Friday night versus the Braves and Oakland Athletics. In a 2-1 loss against the Mariners on Thursday, Carlos Peguero hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth off of Angels reliever Scott Downs. Dan Haren started the game and was brilliant with eight innings of one-run ball and five strikeouts.

"It feels like we've lost 20 in a row, but really we're a game or two out of first place," said Haren. "We're lucky that no one has pulled away and we play every team 15 more times, still a long, long ways to go. We'll turn things around, we're too good of a ballclub to not, we just got to keep pitching like we're pitching and the offense will come around."

Howie Kendrick highlighted the Halos offense with three hits, including a solo home run in the fourth inning.

Ervin Santana will handle pitching duties this evening for Anaheim and is a disappointing 1-4 with a 4.85 ERA in nine starts. Santana is coming off Sunday's no-decision at Texas in which he was reached for four runs and eight hits through seven innings of a 5-4 loss.

Santana, a right-hander, is 0-3 in four home starts this season and lost his only appearance against Atlanta.

The Braves had won four in a row before losing both portions of a two-game set in Arizona to begin a seven-game road trip. They were swept out of the desert with Thursday's 2-1 loss, as Jair Jurrjens suffered his first defeat of the season (5-1) by allowing both runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 frames.

Jurrjens struck out three and walked one batter, and was trying to become the National League's first six-game winner.

"J.J. pitched good enough to deserve to win the ballgame," said Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez. "Our bats didn't come alive until those last two innings. That's just the way it goes sometimes."

Freddie Freeman had three hits and Brian McCann scored in the top of the ninth on a fielding error.

Atlanta, which will also visit Pittsburgh for two games, will hand the ball to Tim Hudson this evening and he's 4-3 with a 3.03 ERA in nine starts. Hudson is 0-1 in the past two trips to the hill and did not record a decision in Sunday's 3-2 win over Philadelphia, as he limited the NL East-rival Phillies to a pair of runs over seven innings.

Hudson, a right-hander, is 13-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 24 career starts against the Angels. He spent several years in the AL West with the Oakland Athletics.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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