Detroit Tigers (39-34) AT L.A. Dodgers (33-41)
June 21, 2011 at 10:10 PM EST
Opening Moneyline:  DET -120, LAD +100
Current Moneyline:  DET -114, LAD -105
Opening Total:  7
Current Total:  7

SP:  DET- Max Scherzer; LAD- Chad Billingsley

Despite a humble 4.32 ERA, Max Scherzer has the opportunity to become the first 10 game winner in the AL with a victory tonight and is 9-2 due to the outstanding run support that the Tigers’ batters have provided him with.

They didn’t provide that run support last night, though, as the Dodgers shut them out 4-0.  Clayton Kershaw was the driving force behind the win as he threw 112 pitches and struck out 11 batters, in pitching the shutout.

“I felt good tonight. I was mixing speeds and getting some quick outs,” Kershaw said. “I kept my pitch count down and stayed through nine. Strikeouts just happen. Some days you’re going to get them and some days you’re not.”

For the Dodgers, Juan Uribe went 2 of 4 with a homer and James Loney went 3 of 4 with 2 runs scored.  Clayton Kershaw helped his own cause, as well,  by driving in two runs.

For whatever odd reason, the Tigers have hit very well when Scherzer takes the mound.  They have given him 74 runs in his 15 starts (4.93 runs per game) and 23 runs in 3 wins this month.

“You’ve got to battle and make sure (you limit the damage),” Scherzer said. “If you can (do that), that’s a good outing.”

Scherzer is 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA in his 8 career interleague starts.

The Tigers will have to do it without Miguel Cabrera tonight, though.  He’s taking the night off and there’s a good reason:  he needs the rest and has gone 0 for 12 in his career against Chad Billingsley.

“This is a no-brainer,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “He plays every day. He gives you everything he’s got, every single day.”

Chad Billingsley has been struggling but pitched well last time he faced the Tigers, as he gave up only 1 run and 4 hits in 7 innings, as the Dodgers won 4-1 on May 21, 2010.  In his last 2 starts, he is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA and he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings as the Dodgers lost 7-2 to the Reds on Wednesday.

Billingsley took a defeated attitude, saying his pitching was “unacceptable…[and] I’m just not executing some pitches in some situations,” but he kept a hopeful note reserved, simply saying “I’m going to have to keep working hard and figure it out.”

It’s a bitter pill for Billingsley to swallow since he used to be the Dodgers’ ace pitcher before Kershaw’s emergence.  Last season Billingsley posted a very respectable 3.42 ERA and struck out 171 hitters in 191 innings.  In his 12 career interleague starts, Billingsley is 4-4 with a 4.76 ERA.

Some betting trends:

Detroit is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games and they are 1-4 SU in their last 5 on the road.  The Tigers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games against the L.A. Dodgers.

The Dodgers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games and they are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games at home.  The Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 home games against the Tigers.

Both Billingsley and Scherzer are top notch pitchers and the total is set low at 7 for tonight’s matchup.  With Cabrera sitting, the Tigers are going to have to get contributions from others, since offense will be scarce in this one to begin with.