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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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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