Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Pick: Phillies +111 odds (June 4th 2012)
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Doc’s Sports MLB FREE PLAY FOR MONDAY JUNE 4TH 2012: Take #906 Philadelphia over LA Dodgers (7:05pm est): Tough spot here for the Dodgers, as they come into town after a long three game trip in Colorado this past weekend. Trips to Colorado can be tough on a team’s pitching staff and the Dodgers had their fair share of problems at Coors Field. LA allowed 18 runs in just three games, dropping two of the three they played against the below .500 Rockies. The Dodgers are without star player Matt Kemp as Kemp is out again with an injury. LA is just 1-6 their last six contests and have scored just 19 runs in those last seven games. They will go with their ace Clayton Kershaw here in this one tonight. Kershaw has had the luxury of having had five straight home starts but despite that fact he hasn’t looked like his stellar self during this span. LA has lost three of those five starts and Kershaw has 23 strikeouts to 10 walks in his last four outings, a little over a 2 to 1 ratio from a guy who had a 4.59 to 1 ratio just last season.

The Phillies are finally starting to play some decent baseball of late as they come in winners of seven of their last eleven games and having scored an average of just under 5.5 runs per game during this time. They go with the youngster Vance Worley here in this one as Worley really looks like he has stepped up so far in this young season. He comes in with a very strong 3.07 ERA but even more impressive then that is the fact that he sports a 3 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, a very strong indicator of a very good pitcher. Because the Phillies staff has the likes of Lee, Hamels and Halladay, a guy like Worley gets undervalued when he is pitching well and make no mistake about it, Worley is pitching well with four quality starts in his last five outings.

Getting the Phillies at home as an underdog against a Dodgers team who traveled last night, is without Kemp right now and are struggling offensively, is a very good value play. Take Philadelphia here.