Game 67 Thread: June 15 vs. Angels, 7.40p

Dodgers start Derek Lowe, RHP (6-6, 3.21) vs. Ervin Santana, RHP (5-6, 5.26).

Dodgers: 38-28 (2nd place NL West, 0.5 GB, W3)
Angels: 42-25 (1st place AL West, 5.0 GA, W2)

From Dodgers.com, the scouting report on the starters:

Dodgers: Lowe pitched a masterpiece Saturday night against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three over eight innings. Lowe picked up his ninth quality start of the season, but did not figure in the decision. Lowe's only mistake came on a fastball that he left up in the strike zone that Matt Stairs hit for a home run. Lowe was his typical self, inducing groundouts and getting Blue Jays' hitters to swing at balls low in the zone.

Angels: Santana is coming off his best road performance of the season: six quality innings against the Cardinals. Mixing biting sliders and changeups with an electric fastball and working quickly to keep his tempo and rhythm, Santana held the Redbirds to six hits and three earned runs, all coming on a pair of homers after he was staked to a 6-0 lead. Santana beat the Dodgers in Anaheim on May 18, giving up one earned run on six hits in six innings. He's 2-1 in three career outings against the Dodgers with a 3.78 ERA, losing his lone Dodger Stadium start last year while yielding five earned runs in four innings.

COMMENTS:

• It's another Freeway Series rematch. Last month, the Angels handed the Dodgers' asses to them in a series in which the Dodgers had more errors than runs. (Remember that? Huh? We'll never let you forget!) But this time, things will be diff—what's that? The Angels are the hottest team in baseball? Uh, never mind.
• The Dodgers' best chance to take a game is tonight. But if Santana's road woes require a plane trip to kick in and if Lowe continues to get less support than most welfare mothers, this could be an ugly series.
• And yet, Eric Neel at ESPN.com says we're more alike than we think: Angels, Dodgers look like mirror images.

The lineup, courtesy of Inside the Dodgers:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Betemit, 3B
Kemp, RF
Lowe, P

We want James!