The Tampa Bay Rays are now in one of the biggest cities in all of the United States, Los Angeles. They are now in the last stretch of their road trip as they take on the Angels in a three-game set. During the first half of their road trip, the Rays were swept by the Boston Red Sox in three games and then the Rays won two out of three games in Texas. Last night the Rays took game one in Los Angeles because the Rays offense produced three home runs in a row which propelled them to a six to three victory. With that win, the Rays are only one game behind the Red Sox for the division lead and they are four games ahead of any other team for the American League wild card spot. The Rays are looking to take at least two out of these three games in order to catch back up with the Red Sox.

The Rays are sending their ace Scott Kazmir to the mound in search for a second victory in California. This year his record is 6-1 with a 1.40 ERA so it would not be wise at all to bet against the Rays in this game. It would at least be a better bet than Big Brown if you had risked some money on him this past weekend. The Angels are sending up to the mound, John Lackey. In recent history he is not a bad starter, but when you are going against one of the league’s best pitchers this year, it will be surely hard to win that game. Lackey is 2-1 this year and he has an earned run average of 1.70 which is still pretty impressive.

The Angels are a good team this year as they are winning their division in the American League West, and even when they are not the strongest team this year, they do still carry a pretty respectable record. Some key players to watch in this game other than the pitchers will be Vladimir Guerrero. He has been the key provider for the Angels offense. Rising star B.J. Upton will have a good game and will most likely steal another base. He will ultimately help the Rays put up some runs. Bet on pitching being the key to victory for the Rays tonight in what is expected to be a very low-scoring game.