Los Angeles at Minnesota

We don't like making a habit of taking road favorites but here is one worth taking. Neither of these teams is hot. LA lost three straight before winning last night over Tama Bay. Minnesota is off a sweep at home at the hands of the Tigers. But LA matches up well here. They have won 12 of the last 19 between these two clubs. And, they have John Lackey going. Lackey has been nothing short of amazing in 2007. He's 12-5 overall and 7-2 on the road. He's been very consistent (2.98 ERA overall, 2.39 on the road and 2.95 over his last three starts). He's going very deep into games too. That can't be said of Carlos Silva. He's got a 4.55 ERA and has been tagged lately. He's off a good showing against Oakland but his two prior starts resulted in being yanked after the 5th inning after allowing six runs in each start. The Angels are a winning road team with a record on the road nearly as good as Minnesota's at home. LA is 45-21 as a favorite this year and Lackey is 9-1 the past two seasons on the road when working on 5+ days of rest.