Location change in Indians-Angels game affects line

[Raji]

Mon, Apr 9, 2007By Jeff Mason

Major league baseball has moved the series between the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of weather concerns.

The three-game series starting Tuesday was originally scheduled to be played in Cleveland, but with one cancelled series in the books already, fear of more snow forced officials to make a proactive move.

All four games of Cleveland’s series against the Seattle Mariners were called off because of a snowstorm that hit the area. Cleveland still hasn’t played a home game at Jacobs Field this season.

“We’ll probably just take a little bit off the home team and leave it at that,” says Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Pete Korner. “Cleveland will still have a little bit of an advantage because it bats last, but that’s really it.”

Korner notes that there is some precedent for this situation. The Oakland A’s played their first six games of the 1996 season at Cashman Stadium in Las Vegas while new seats were getting installed at McAfee Coliseum. Oakland went just 1-5 in those games.

The opener and Wednesday's game will be played at 7:05 p.m. CT, with Thursday's scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Ervin Santana will start Game 1 for the Angels and Jake Westbrook will pitch for the Indians.

Oddsmakers have set the Indians as -142 favorites with the total set at 8 1/2.


Raji