While Major League Baseball enjoys a couple of days off as part of its annual all-star break, anyone who enjoys wagering on the games has to be chomping at the bit for the regular season to resume this Friday with a full slate of games. To help get you ready for all the action, the following is a look at some key betting trends for a few of the marquee matchups on this Friday’s schedule (all times EST).

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals - 7:05 p.m.

Both of these teams would love to jump out to a fast start to try and close the gap with the leader in their respective division. The Dodgers trail Arizona by 2.5 games in the NL West, and Washington is six games in back of Atlanta in the NL East.

Ricky Nolasco is expected to be on the mound for Los Angeles while the Nationals will go with Stephen Strasburg as their starter. While the Dodgers hold a 8-3 edge in the last 11 meetings, Washington is 4-1 in the last five meetings when these two starters have faced off against one another.

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox - 7:10 p.m. (MLB Network)

One of the best rivalries in baseball will be renewed this Friday night when the Yankees kick off the second half of the season against the AL East-leading Red Sox. New York is currently six games out of the lead and in fourth-place in the division behind both Tampa Bay and Baltimore, so a strong showing in this series could be vital to jump starting a run towards the playoffs.

The expected pitching matchup for Friday night pits Andy Pettitte from New York against Boston’s Felix Doubront in a battle of left-handed starters. The Yankees are 2-5 in their last seven games against a left-handed starter while the Red Sox are a perfect 4-0 in their last four against a lefty. The good news for New York is that it is 6-1 in Pettitte’s last seven starts against Boston and 8-2 overall in its last 10 games against its bitter rivals.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds - 7:10 p.m.

The Pirates are just one game in back of St. Louis for the lead in the NL Central Division race, but thoughts of yet another second-half collapse have to be embedded in their heads as they continue on with the season. They will face the third-place Reds, who are five full games in back of the Cardinals in the division race.

Pittsburgh has to feel pretty good about Friday night’s matchup with Francisco Liriano on the mound. The left-hander comes in with a 9-3 record and 2.00 ERA. Cincinnati will counter with Mike Leake, who is 8-4 with an ERA of 2.69. The Pirates are 2-5 in their last seven games against Cincinnati, and the Reds are 4-1 in Leake’s last five starts against Pittsburgh. However, the top play in this game could be on the “under” on the total line. The total has stayed under is seven of the last 11 meetings at the Great American Ballpark and in four of Leake’s last six starts against the Pirates.

Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels - 10:05 p.m.

Oakland has a two-game lead in the AL West over Texas after going 7-3 in its last 10 games before the all-star break while the Angels have quite a bit of ground to make up in the division over the second half of the season considering they are sitting 11 games out of the lead.

The A’s will go with AJ Griffin as their starter for Friday night’s series opener, while the Angels will send Jered Weaver to the mound as their starter. Oakland has won five of the first six meetings this season and is 6-1 in its last seven road games against its division rival. The Athletics have also gone an impressive 21-8 in the first game of its last 29 series.

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