Friday Night Lights
By Kevin Rogers
Division rivalries highlight the Friday night card around Major League Baseball. Two American League races are still up for grabs inside the East and Central, while the Phillies have a hold on the NL East. One of the better pitching matchups we'll see this season takes place at Yankee Stadium between the Red Sox and Yankees.
Red Sox at Yankees (7:05 PM EST)
Two of the hotter pitchers in baseball meet up in the Bronx, as Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett take the hill for the second game of this crucial four-game set. The two ex-Marlins are each 5-1 since the start of July, while both rank in the top-10 in the AL in strikeouts.
Beckett (13-4, 3.27 ERA) continues to lead all AL pitchers in wins, looking to beat the Yankees for the fourth time this season. The last two starts against New York have been quality outings, allowing three earned runs in 12 innings of work. The only shaky outing was on April 25, a 16-11 Red Sox victory in which Beckett gave up ten hits and eight runs in five innings. Boston is 7-1 in Beckett' last eight starts against New York dating back to the end of the 2007 season.
Burnett (10-5, 3.89 ERA) was touched up by the White Sox his last time out, allowing ten hits and seven earned runs in just five innings of a 14-4 drubbing. Prior to that start, the Yankees won six straight outings by Burnett. The right-hander is 4-1 at home this season, while the Yanks are victorious in his last six in the Bronx. Burnett's numbers against the Sox this season aren't appealing, allowing 11 earned runs in just 7.2 innings of work, both losses.
Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay is expected to miss the game with a hamstring injury.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants has installed the Yankees as a $1.25 home favorite, with the total listed at 9 (Bet $1.25 to win $1.00 on the 'under').
Twins at Tigers (7:05 PM EST)
The AL Central race is still very much up in the air with less than two months remaining in the season. Detroit is fresh off a series victory over Baltimore, taking three of four against the O's. The Twins stubbed their toe in Cleveland, dropping two of three to the Indians.
Armando Galarraga (5-10, 5.22 ERA) has been simply wretched at night this season. The Tigers right-hander is 1-9 when the sun goes down, with an ERA of 5.24. Detroit is winless in each of Galarraga's last five starts, including three straight home losses. Galarraga has especially struggled against this Twins lineup, as the Tigers are 1-5 in his six career starts, allowing five earned runs or more three times.
Anthony Swarzak (3-4, 4.25 ERA) has gone in and out of this Twins rotation for the last two months. The young right-hander has several solid performances on his ledger, most notably winning at the Cubs and Angels since June 13. Swarzak's numbers on the road (2-0, 2.22 ERA) are better than at home (1-4, 6.29 ERA), despite striking out just 27 batters in 48.2 innings.
LVSC has listed the Tigers as a $1.25 home favorite, while the total is listed at 9 ½.
Marlins at Phillies (7:35 PM EST)
A pair of seven-game winners take the mound at Citizens Bank Park, as the Phillies and Marlins meet up in Philadelphia. Florida looks to rebound after an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the suddenly-hot Washington Nationals.
Following a horrendous June, Joe Blanton (7-5, 4.02 ERA) was 3-0 in July in four starts. Blanton lost his last outing to Tim Lincecum and the Giants, 2-0 on August 1. However, Blanton has allowed just six earned runs in his last five trips to the mound, while the 'under' has hit four times in this span. The Phillies are 3-0 in Blanton's three career starts against the Fish, including an 11-strikeout performance by the righty in a 5-3 victory on May 26.
Ricky Nolasco (7-7, 5.00 ERA) was less than stellar the first two months of the season, going 2-5 his first nine starts. Nolasco was sent down to the minors to try and regain the tools that helped him win 15 games last season. Nolasco responded by winning five of his last seven decisions, while the Fish are victorious in eight of his last ten starts. The 'under' has been a solid play recently on Nolasco's watch, hitting in seven of his previous nine outings. One of the two losses Nolasco has suffered in this stretch came against the Phillies on July 17, allowing four earned runs and seven hits in six innings of work.
The Phillies are listed as a $1.60 home 'chalk,' with the total set at 9, according to LVSC.
vegasinsider.com
Friday's Late-Night Tips
By Brian Edwards
**Cubs at Rockies**
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Colorado (59-49, +965) as a minus-125 home favorite with a total of nine flat (minus-110 either way). Bettors can expect to get the Rockies at a generous number in the plus-160 range for run-line wagers (minus 1 ½ runs).
Jim Tracy’s team returns home after an up-and-down road trip that netted the club a 5-5 record. The Rockies lost the first three games of the trip to the Mets at Citi Field before reeling off five consecutive victories. Then they lost back-to-back contests at Philadelphia, including Thursday’s 3-1 loss as plus-155 underdogs.
Chicago (57-49, -249) had an off day Thursday after losing 4-0 at Cincinnati on Wednesday. The loss dropped the Cubs’ road record to 24-30 for the year. They are in the Mile High City for a four-game, wrap-around series that’ll conclude a road trip that has so far seen the Cubbies go 3-3.
The Cubs and Cardinals are tied for the lead in the National League Central going into Friday’s action. They lead the third-place Brewers by four games.
Carlos Zambrano (7-4, 3.35 ERA) will get the starting nod for the Cubs in this spot. Zambrano is 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 road starts this season. The right-hander is 2-4 with a 3.13 ERA in eight career starts against Colorado. He left his last start after just three innings with tightness in his back but will not miss his turn in the rotation nonetheless.
Ubaldo Jimenez (8-9, 3.76) owns a 4-4 record and 3.99 ERA in nine home outings this year. The righty hasn’t given up more than three earned runs in five straight starts. Jimenez has struggled against the Cubs with a 0-3 record and 7.27 lifetime ERA.
Colorado owns a 27-21 home record at Coors Field. Going into this spot, the Rockies are in third place in the NL West, trailing the division-leading Dodgers by seven games. They are one game behind San Francisco in the wild-card hunt.
The ‘under’ is 54-49 overall for the Rockies, but they have watched the ‘over’ go 25-21 in their home games.
The Cubs have seen the ‘under’ go 56-45 overall, 29-20 in their road assignments.
Jimenez will throw the first pitch at 9:10 p.m. Eastern.
**Rangers at Angels**
LVSC opened Los Angeles (64-42, +2225) as a minus-130 ‘chalk’ with a total of 9 ½ flat. Gamblers can take the Angels on the run line for a plus-155 return (risk $100 to win $155).
Mike Scioscia’s team won a 9-5 decision Thursday over the White Sox in the Windy City. The Angels hooked up their backers as plus-135 underdogs. Four players went deep for the Halos, including recently activated Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu.
Texas (60-47, +1552) captured a 6-4 win Thursday at Oakland as a minus-120 road favorite. Tommy Hunter gave the Rangers seven solid innings en route to his fourth win of the year. They improved to 23-26 in their road games and stayed within 4 ½ games of the Angels in the AL West race.
Joe Saunders (9-6, 5.07) will toe the rubber for the Angels, who are 32-20 at home this year. The lefty has been shelled in a pair of starts against Texas this season, going 0-2 with an ERA of 15.00. For his career, Saunders is 3-5 with a 6.52 ERA against the Rangers.
Texas RHP Scott Feldman (10-4, 3.91) has done his best work on the road in 2009, compiling a 6-1 ledger with a 3.44 ERA in nine road appearances (eight starts). Feldman is 2-3 with a 5.23 lifetime ERA against the Angels.
The ‘under’ is an MLB-best 66-36 overall for the Rangers, 29-18 in their road games.
Gamblers have a tough call on the total in this spot. That’s because contrary to Texas with the majors’ best ‘under’ mark, the ‘over’ is an MLB-best 62-37 overall for the Angels, 31-18 in their home games. The ‘over’ is on an incredible 14-1-1 run in L.A.’s last 16 games.
**Rays at Mariners**
This will be the last game to come off the board as it is scheduled for a 10:10 p.m. Eastern start. Most books are listing Seattle (56-51, +653) as a minus-135 favorite with a total of eight ‘under’ (minus-120).
Tampa Bay (60-48, +307) has steadily climbed back into contention in both the AL East and the wild-card hunt. The Rays have won five of their last six games, including a two-game home sweep of Boston, to pull to within 5 ½ games of the division-leading Yankees (pending Thursday’s result).
The Mariners will turn to their ace Felix Hernandez (12-4, 2.78) in this situation. The hard-throwing righty hasn’t done his best work at home, going 4-3 with a 4.01 ERA in nine starts at Safeco Field. Hernandez is 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA in six career starts against the Rays.
Tampa Bay RHP Jeff Neimann (10-5, 3.62) is 6-3 with a 4.12 ERA on the road. He won his only career decision against Seattle.
The M’s own a 27-22 home record, while the Rays are just 24-30 on the road.
Seattle is in third place in the AL West, 8 ½ games back of the Angels. The M’s still have an outside shot in the wild-card hunt, six games off the pace pending Thursday’s evening results.
The ‘under’ is 58-45 overall but has much more prevalent on the road with a 33-20 mark.
The M’s have watched the ‘under’ produce an even bigger profit at 63-42 overall and 27-21 in their home outings.
vegasinsider.com
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Florida (55-53) at Philadelphia (61-45)
Red-hot Joe Blanton (7-5, 4.02 ERA) leads the defending World Series champion Phillies in the opener of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park against the Marlins, who will hand the ball to Ricky Nolasco (7-7, 5.00).
Philadelphia halted a 1-5 slide by winning two in a row against Colorado the past two days, including Thursday’s 3-1 victory in which Cliff Lee made his home debut with the Phils by throwing seven innings of one-run ball. Despite their recent skid, the Phillies remain one of baseball’s hottest teams, as they are on runs of 22-8 overall, 16-4 at home, 6-0 against N.L. East foes and 7-3 in series openers.
Florida arrives in Philadelphia after getting swept in three games on the road by the dismal Nationals, who have the worst record in the majors. On Thursday, the Marlins jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, then gave it all away and then some in a 12-8 loss, allowing the last four runs in the game-deciding eighth inning. Florida is on skids of 2-7 in division play and 3-9 on Fridays, but they’ve won four of their last five series openers.
Philly swept a three-game set at Florida last month and is 7-2 against the Marlins this season, with all but one of those wins coming on the road. The Phils are on a 9-2 overall run in this rivalry, though the Marlins have won four of the last five clashes in Philadelphia, including two of three in a May series. In fact, the visitor has won 10 of the last 11 between these squads.
The Phillies had won four in a row behind Blanton before Saturday’s road matchup against reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and the Giants. Blanton threw a solid seven innings, allowing both runs on seven hits, with no walks and five strikeouts, but he took the loss in a 2-0 setback. The right-hander has a 1.47 ERA over his past five outings.
Blanton is 4-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 home starts this year, and he’s won all three of his career starts against the Marlins while posting a 3.18 ERA. With Blanton throwing, the Phils are on rolls of 4-0 at home, 8-2 in series openers and 11-4 against division opponents.
The Marlins have won three in a row and eight of 10 backing Nolasco, including Sunday’s 3-2 home victory over the Cubs, with the 26-year-old allowing one run on four hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out eight. Nolasco is 3-4 with a 6.17 ERA in 10 road starts this season, and he’s 4-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 10 career appearances (seven starts) against Philadelphia. Florida is on runs behind Nolasco of 19-7 in series openers and 4-1 against winning teams.
For Philadelphia, the “under” is on tears of 10-1 on Friday, 6-1 in N.L. East action, 5-1-1 with Blanton starting and 6-2 behind Blanton at home. The under is also 7-2 in Nolasco’s last nine starts, and in this rivalry, the total has stayed low in five of the last six meetings overall. However, the over for Florida is on rolls of 6-2 overall, 5-0 in N.L. East play and 7-2 in Nolasco’s last nine road starts.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PHILADELPHIA
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston (62-45) at N.Y. Yankees (66-42)
The Yankees trot out A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.89 ERA) to face Josh Beckett (13-4, 3.27) and the Red Sox in an A.L. East battle of right-handers for Game 2 of a four-game series in the Bronx.
New York ended a nine-game losing streak to their hated rivals on Thursday and did so in emphatic fashion, scoring eight runs in the fourth inning on the way to a 13-6 victory. The Yankees are on positive runs of 28-10 overall, 8-1 versus the A.L. East, 44-18 at home and 19-8 against winning teams. Joe Girardi’s team has a 3½-game lead over Boston in the A.L. East.
Boston has now lost three in a row and is on a 3-8 road skid, but remains on upswings of 27-13 in division play and 33-16 in series openers. And along with their 9-1 run against New York, the Sox are still 4-2 in their last six games at Yankee Stadium (2-1 this year). In addition, Boston is 7-1 in Beckett’s last eight starts against the Yanks and 4-1 in his last five outings at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees ripped off six straight wins behind Burnett before the righty got shelled last Saturday against the White Sox, giving up seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in just 4 2/3 innings of a 14-4 road loss. Burnet is 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 10 home starts this season, and he’s 5-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 10 career starts against Boston, though New York has lost both of his starts this season against the Sox, with the 32-year-old giving up 13 runs (11 earned) in 7 2/3 innings for a 12.91 ERA.
The Red Sox are 7-1 in Beckett’s last eight starts, including a 4-0 win at Baltimore on Sunday in which he threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Beckett is 6-4 with a 3.93 ERA in 11 road starts this year, and he’s 9-4 in 15 career regular-season starts against New York, despite a 5.42 ERA. The Sox have won all three of his starts against the Yanks this season despite Beckett’s 5.82 ERA
With Burnett on the hill, New York is on surges of 5-0 at home and 6-1 when facing winning teams. Meanwhile, with Beckett toeing the slab, Boston is on rolls of 17-5 overall, 5-0 in the division and 7-2 on the highway.
The over is on overall runs of 5-0-1 for New York and 8-2 for Boston. Conversely, the under for the Yanks is on stretches of 7-3-1 at home, 6-2 overall behind Burnett and 6-2 with Burnett starting at Yankee Stadium, and the under for the Red Sox is on upswings of 4-2 against winning teams, 8-4 on the road and 4-1 behind Beckett.
Finally, despite last night’s slugfest, the under is 6-3-2 in the last 11 meetings in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
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Baseball Today
SCOREBOARD
Friday, Aug. 7
Texas at L.A. Angels (10:05 p.m. EDT). Scott Feldman tries for his 11th win as the Rangers try to gain ground on the AL West-leading Angels, who send Joe Saunders to the mound in search of his 10th win.
STARS
Thursday
-Andre Ethier, Dodgers, hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Atlanta closer Rafael Soriano to give Los Angeles a 5-4 victory.
-Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, had four hits and finished a double short of the cycle, driving in three runs in a 12-8 victory over the Marlins.
-Cliff Lee, Phillies, allowed one run in seven innings in his first home start since his trade to Philadelphia, and struck out nine in a 3-1 victory over the Rockies.
-Michael Young, Rangers, homered and drove in two runs to run his hitting streak to 13 games in a 6-4 win over the Athletics.
-Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada, Yankees, hit three-run homers in New York's 13-6 victory over Boston.
-Adrian Gonzalez, Padres, hit a two-run homer in a four-run third inning and drove in three runs, leading San Diego to an 8-3 win over the Mets.
-Alex Romero, Diamondbacks, had a two-run double in the 12th inning among his four hits and Arizona won its fifth straight, 11-6 over the Pirates.
BIG PAPI'S BIG MEETING
David Ortiz and incoming players' union head Michael Weiner have planned a news conference for Saturday at Yankee Stadium before the Red Sox play New York. Big Papi said last week that the union confirmed his name is on the list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Ortiz said he's still waiting for more information on the result.
ON THE BOARD
New York ended a nine-game skid against Boston dating to last season, with a 13-6 win. It was the Yankees' longest drought in one of baseball's most heated rivalries since they lost 17 straight from Oct. 3, 1911, to July 1, 1912.
MONEY IN THE BANK
Cliff Lee made an impressive debut at Citizens Bank Park, pitching seven strong innings in the Phillies' 3-1 win over the Rockies. Lee allowed one run and six hits, striking out nine in his first home start since the reigning AL Cy Young winner was traded from the Indians.
ETHIER SAID THAN DONE
The Dodgers' Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Atlanta closer Rafael Soriano for his major league-leading fifth walkoff hit of the season and a 5-4 win over the Braves.
GOOD COMPANY
Bobby Abreu homered leading off the fifth inning in the Angels' 9-5 victory over the White Sox, extending his hitting streak to 12 games and giving him 250 career home runs. He joined Willie Mays, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Barry Bonds and Craig Biggio as the only players with 250 homers, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 RBIs, 1,000 walks and 300 stolen bases.
WE HAVE A WINNER
Kansas City's Bruce Chen, who had lost his past 13 decisions, earned his first victory since Oct. 2, 2005, while with the Baltimore Orioles. Chen held the Mariners to two runs, despite giving up 10 hits and a walk in 6 2-3 innings of an 8-2 win.
THERE'S NO "I'' IN TEAM
The Nationals went 7 for 12 with runners in scoring position in their 12-8 win over the Marlins. ... Detroit is a baseball-best 19-6 at home since June 6. ... The Orioles have lost 15 of 20 since the All-Star break.
BUT THERE'S A "ME''
The Phillies' Jimmy Rollins has a 12-game hitting streak, and is batting .338 since an 0 for 28 slump. ... The Tigers' Rick Porcello (10-7) became the second pitcher in franchise history with double-digit wins by the age of 20 or younger, joining Dave Rozema.
THE GREATEST
Muhammad Ali received a warm welcome at Yankee Stadium before New York's game against the Red Sox. The boxing great pointed and waved to the crowd as he rode along the warning track in a golf cart, and the cheers grew louder as he approached home and the crowd chanted " Ali! Ali!'' The former heavyweight champ fought across the street at the old Yankee Stadium in 1976, beating Ken Norton in a 15-round unanimous decision. His adopted son, Asaad Ali, is a catching prospect who was drafted by the Angels in the 40th round of the June draft.
FEELS LIKE HOME
Seattle's Mike Sweeney hit his 100th home run at Kauffman Stadium in an 8-2 loss. Sweeney played his first 13 years in the majors with the Royals.
NEGATIVE POSITIVES
Outfielder Edgardo Baez and shortstop Ofilio Castro of the Nationals' Double-A team at Harrisburg have been suspended for 50 games each under baseball's minor league drug program after testing positive for an amphetamine. There have been 48 suspensions this year under the minor league program and four under the major league program.
MORE PUNISHMENT HANDED OUT
Brewers star Prince Fielder and Dodgers pitcher Guillermo Mota have been fined for their run-in this week. MLB will not suspend them and the amounts of the fines were not disclosed. Mota hit Fielder with a pitch in the ninth inning of a 17-4 Dodgers victory, presumably as payback for Milwaukee pitcher Chris Smith grazing Manny Ramirez. After the game, Fielder charged across a hallway toward the Dodgers' clubhouse before he was restrained by teammates.
BOB'S BUSY DAY
MLB vice president Bob Watson also suspended Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson for three games and fined him for throwing a pitch near the head of the Mets' David Wright. The suspension had been set to start Friday, when the Cardinals play at Pittsburgh, but the players' association appealed and any penalty will be delayed until after the disciplinary process.
SPEAKING
"If his dad is not too cheap, he'll buy him dinner.'' -Detroit manager Jim Leyland, after Alex Avila hit a two-out RBI double in the third inning of his major league debut. Avila is the son of Detroit assistant GM Al Avila, who celebrated the hit with Hall of Famer Al Kaline, team president Dave Dombrowski and vice president John Westoff in the front-office box.
Weekend MLB cheat sheet: Stats and Trends
By Marc Lawrence
With the contenders separating themselves from the pretenders this 2009 season, let’s focus on the top two series on both the American and National League slate this edition of the MLB weekend cheat sheet.
Remember, all results are within the series and all pitcher records are ‘team starts’ (the team’s record in games in which the pitcher starts) versus this opponent.
National League
Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies
Most recent series result: Phillies are 9-2 in their last 11 games (7-2 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Marlins are 4-1 in their last nine games away (2-1 this season)
Key day/month stat: Phillies are 14-3 on Sundays in their home park
Best arm in the series: Phillies’ Joe Blanton is 5-0 with a 3.17 ERA career
Worst arm in the series: Phillies’ Cole Hamels is 1-5 with a 4.32 ERA in last six starts
Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers
Most recent series result: Braves are 7-4 in their last 11 games (1-2 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Braves are 3-2 in their last five games away
Key day/month stat: Dodgers are 10-1 at home on Saturdays; Braves are 1-5 away on Saturdays
Best arm in the series: Dodgers’ Jason Schmidt is 4-0 with a 3.33 ERA in his last four home starts
Worst arm in the series: Braves’ Javier Vazquez is 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA in his last four games away
American League
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Most recent series result: Red Sox are 9-0 in last nine games (8-0 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Red Sox are 4-1 in their last five games away (2-0 this season)
Key day/month stat: Yankees are 16-2 at home on Sundays; Red Sox are 2-7 away on Sundays
Best arm in the series: Red Sox’ Josh Beckett is 7-1 with a 3.82 ERA in his last eight starts
Worst arm in the series: Yankees’ CC Sabathia is 2-8 with a 5.08 ERA career
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers
Most recent series result: Twins are 5-1 in their last six games (6-2 this season)
Most recent series result at the site: Twins are 5-2 in their last seven games away (1-1 this season)
Key day/month stat: Tigers are 13-4 at home on Sundays; Twins are 6-12 away on Sundays
Best arm in the series: Twins’ Glen Perkins is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA career
Worst arm in the series: Tigers’ Armando Galarraga is 1-5 with a 5.86 ERA career
What bettors need to know: Red Sox at Yankees
By BARRY DANIELS
Season series
It almost defies logic, considering how evenly matched these two AL East rivals are, but the Red Sox have won all eight meetings against the Yanks this season. That includes sweeping a brief two-game series at Yankee Stadium during the first week in May. The other six victories were at Fenway Park where the Red Sox outscored the Yankees, 42-24. The under is 4-2-2 in the eight matchups.
How they enter: Boston began this nine-game road trip through Baltimore, Tampa Bay and New York by sweeping a three-game set against the Orioles and scoring a whopping 28 runs in the process. But Tampa Bay’s pitching stopped Boston’s bats during a 4-2 victory in Tuesday’s opener of the brief two-game set. Despite the setback, Boston is still 27-26 away from Fenway.
The Yankees return home after a grueling nine-game road trip that saw them take two of three from Tampa Bay before dropping three of four to the White Sox. New York captured Tuesday’s first game of a two-game set against Toronto, 5-3. The Bronx Bombers are 35-17 at Yankee Stadium, tied with Boston for the best home record in the AL.
Friday
Josh Beckett (13-4, 3.27 ERA) at A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.89 ERA)
Beckett, holding the opposition to a paltry .234 batting average this season, has 132 strikeouts in 143 innings. Beckett has faced the Yankees three times this season, going 2-0 with a 5.82 ERA.
In 11 road starts this season, Beckett is 6-4 with a 3.93 ERA. He has allowed three earned runs or less in 13 of his last 16 starts.
Burnett has faced the Red Sox twice this season, recording one loss and one no-decision. The Yankees lost both times, but are still a nifty 14-7 in Burnett’s first 21 starts. The former Blue Jay is 5-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 10 lifetime starts against Boston.
Free Falling
By Sportspic
A pair of A.L. East free falling birds meet north of the border when Toronto Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles. Blue Birds are 10-22 the past thirty-two on the diamond depleting betting accounts to the tune of -$1448 including a horrific 5-11 (-$834) at the Rogers Center where they've managed just 3.7 runs/game going 10-3-3 'Under' over the span. The visiting Birds enter 11-23 (-$1031) their last thirty-four with a putrid 6-14 (-$546) record on the highway scoring 4.7 runs/game with a 9-8-3 'Under' mark away. Somewhat a mismatch on the mound with Jays handing the ball to lefty Brett Cecil (5-1, 4.36) while Orioles counter with righty Jason Berken (1-9, 6.93). Cecil has gone 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA, over his last four starts compiling 24 strikeouts against 10 walks in 27 innings of work. Berken off his shortest outing a 1 1/3 inning affair giving up six earned has now lost nine straight and enters 1-11 in team starts the past twelve on the bump. Toronto has been at the losing end the past six meetings (1-5) but it is well to note Jays are 9-1 the past ten as host in the series. Blue Jays 13-6 in their last nineteen as faves of -$1.50 to -$2.00 have been pegged -$1.63 to -$1.71 favorites depending on locale.