Blue Jays aim to extend series win streak over Orioles

Baseball Betting Lines

07/26/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays may have had their share of trouble against the top teams in the American League's East Division, but they sure know how to handle the Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays will be seeking to extend a nine-game winning streak over Baltimore when these two AL East foes play the first of three consecutive meetings from the Rogers Centre this evening.

Toronto has swept a trio of three-game sets from the lowly Orioles this season, one of which took place at the Rogers Centre from May 28-30. The Blue Jays have also won eight straight and 13 of their 14 matchups with Baltimore as the home team.

The Jays haven't fared nearly as well against the other AL East inhabitants, having gone a combined 8-16 versus the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox.

Toronto did acquit itself fairly well in its most recent series, however, splitting four bouts on the road with struggling Detroit over the weekend. The Blue Jays nearly came through with a series win, but the Tigers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out a 6-5 victory in Sunday's finale of a doubleheader.

The Blue Jays posted a 5-3 win in the opener of the twinbill, with Lyle Overbay's tie-breaking two-run homer off Tigers closer Jose Valverde in the top of the ninth providing the difference.

Jose Molina had a two-run homer earlier in the game for Toronto, while Vernon Wells belted a solo shot and finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Reliever Scott Downs (4-5) was awarded the win after pitching out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the eighth, with Kevin Gregg tossing a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his 23rd save.

Toronto's bullpen couldn't get the job done in the nightcap, however, as Brian Tallet and Jason Frasor were tagged for four runs in the eighth as Detroit rallied from a 4-2 deficit. Frasor (3-3) took the loss after allowing a pair of two-run doubles in the frame, including Ryan Raburn's go-ahead shot with one out.

Jays starter Jesse Litsch was in line for the win after holding the Tigers to two runs over the first 5 1/3 innings. Jose Bautista hit his major league- leading 27th homer of the season in the loss, while Dewayne Wise finished 3- for-4 with a solo blast and knocked in two runs for Toronto.

The Blue Jays will attempt to bounce back tonight behind Brandon Morrow, with the young right-hander hoping to duplicate a quality performance during his last time out. The converted reliever beat the Orioles in Baltimore back on July 17, yielding just two runs on five hits and striking out eight batters over seven innings.

Morrow has not pitched since that game, with Toronto skipping his next turn in order to limit his workload for the year. The former first-round pick has logged a career-high 107 innings thus far and has compiled a 6-6 record with a 4.71 earned run average in 19 starts, while striking out an impressive 119 batters.

The offseason acquisition, who turns 26 years old today, has done his best work at the Rogers Centre, having recorded a 5-1 mark with a 3.27 ERA in nine home starts.

Morrow's win over the Orioles earlier this month was his only decision in nine career appearances, two of which have been starts, against Baltimore. He sports a 3.26 ERA through 19 1/3 innings over those outings.

Baltimore registered the worst overall record in baseball prior to the All- Star break and hasn't shown any improvement so far in the second half. The Orioles have dropped eight of 10 games since the hiatus and enter tonight's tilt off back-to-back home setbacks to Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday.

Orioles pitching was hit hard in yesterday's 10-4 defeat, with the Twins banging out 19 hits and swatting four homers in the rout. Baltimore starter Jake Arrieta (3-3) struggled badly during his four-inning stint, with the rookie tagged for five runs on seven hits and walking four batters.

"It's pretty embarrassing to go out there and not be able to give your team a quality start," said Arrieta. "I prepare myself too well to allow these kind of things to happen."

Baltimore will be hoping for a better showing out of tonight's starter, Brad Bergesen, but may have to keep its fingers crossed considering how he's pitched as of late. The sophomore hurler has lost four consecutive starts and surrendered four or more runs in four of his past five assignments, producing a poor 6.52 ERA over that stretch.

In reality, this entire season has been a struggle for Bergesen, who brings a 3-8 record and 6.51 overall ERA into tonight's matchup. Opposing hitters are batting a robust .327 off of him for the year.

Bergesen did strike out seven batters over 5 1/3 innings in his last mound trip, but was still reached for five runs and nine hits in a loss to Tampa Bay this past Wednesday. That effort followed a 4-2 defeat to the Blue Jays on July 21 in which he permitted all four runs while lasting six frames.

The 24-year-old is 1-1 over four career starts against Toronto, but has allowed a total of nine runs in a combined 10 2/3 innings during his two previous encounters with the Blue Jays this season.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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