Freeway Series Opens at Dodger Stadium

The annual Freeway Series between the Angels and Dodgers, which begins tonight at Dodger Stadium, will be without Pedro Guerrero, but not without intrigue.

Guerrero, who injured his left knee during an exhibition game Thursday, will miss at least the first three months of the season. The Dodgers must decide who will take Guerrero’s place both in left field and as a hitter.

There are other interesting sidelights, including the status of Angel pitcher John Candelaria and his fickle left elbow. Candelaria will face Bob Welch in tonight’s 7:35 game.

Saturday evening, the Dodgers will honor Don Sutton in a pregame ceremony. Sutton, now with the Angels, is the all-time winningest pitcher for the Dodgers. He is five wins away from 300 victories in his career. The ceremony begins at 6:40 p.m.

Sutton and Ron Romanick are scheduled to pitch in Saturday night’s game against Rick Honeycutt.

Sunday afternoon’s game at Anaheim Stadium begins at 1:05 and will match the Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss against Kirk McCaskill.

About 15,000 tickets remain for tonight’s game at Dodger Stadium, and about 10,000 are available for Saturday’s game. The Sunday game at Anaheim Stadium is close to a sellout, Angel officials said.

The Dodgers lead the Freeway Series, which began in 1962, 24-23-1.