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Y E S T E R D A Y …

With 324 combined games, shockingly the Dodgers and the Angels had a day off.

With an MVP award in the overhead compartment, the Lakers Traveled to Utah for game 3.

T O D A Y…

Lakers at Jazz (6:00 pm PST): The Lakers have officially started the party, according to Kobe Bryant, going up 2-0 against a seemingly adolescent playoff team in Utah. The Jazz have a notorious home court advantage, but the last time the Lake Show hit EnergySolutions Arena they decisively shut down the Jazz 110-95. Look for LA to keep the ball moving like they did in game 2 where 5 guys were in double figures.   

Astros at Dodgers (7:40 pm PST): The Dodgers cooled off in their last game after an 8-2 run toward the upper ranks of the NL West. They will look to rekindle that winning feeling against the similarly “lukewarm” Houston Astros, who have won 5 of their last 6. Derek Lowe gets the start at home after an abysmal performance against the Rockies last Sunday, where he gave up five runs, six hits and four walks in five innings in a 7-2 loss.

Angels at Rays ( 4:10 pm PST): Last season, the Angels were the hottest home team in baseball. This year, they’re the hottest road team at 12-6. The Halos will travel to Florida with a squad full of hot bats, four of whom are averaging better then .300 over 30-plus games. On the mound, the Angels will start Jon Garland, who had a stellar game against Baltimore on May 2. Garland is also undefeated in his career against the Rays.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• Kobe Bryant was honored at Staples Center on Friday as more then just MVP of the Steakhouse.
• For Lakers, the formula is easy-kill the crowd and you kill the team.
• When Matt Kemp bats .400, the Dodgers win 11 of 15.
• News flash to Dodgers vice president-baseball is already an integral part of fans lives.
• The Angels will kick it tonight with former mainstay Troy Percival, now flourishing in Tampa.

C O L U M N S…

• Early season injuries for John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar had Angel fans worried. But as the Press Enterprise’s Matt Hurst notes, the pair’s absence created seized opportunities for Ervin Santana and John Saunders to shine. And with those hurlers performing above and beyond expectations, now it’s time for Vladdy Guerrero to start performing up to standards. The slugger’s ready to get rolling, according to the O.C. Register’s Bill Plunkett.
• SportsHubLA.com Column of the Day: Derek Fisher has been a rock for the Lakers this season and in seasons past. Mark Heisler of the L.A. Times paints the picture of a man who has gone through championships, trades and family turmoils, yet has remained the same icon of character since he entered the league in 1996. Fisher’s story is personified by the current series. This time last year, Fisher was suiting up as a member of the Utah Jazz, just hours after his daughters cancer surgery. D. Fish took a pay cut in order to get released from his Jazz contract and came back to LA in order to give his daughter the best medical care possible. By doing so, he brought what many fans feel is the heart and soul of the Lakers spirit.

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