Jays shoot for more success against O's

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays will try to continue their mastery of the Baltimore Orioles, as the clubs resume a three-game set tonight at Camden Yards.

The Blue Jays have won all seven meetings this season with Baltimore and that includes a 4-2 victory in last night's series opener.

Ricky Romero (7-6) tossed seven solid innings, allowing two earned runs and five hits for his first victory in exactly a month. He also fanned five batters and walked one for Toronto, which started a 10-game road trip on Friday.

Kevin Gregg tossed a perfect ninth to record his 21st save of the year.

Aaron Hill went 3-for-4 with a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who have won four of their past six games. Yunel Escobar went 1-for-4 with a walk in his Toronto debut. He was acquired from the Braves on Wednesday as part of a five-player deal that saw Alex Gonzalez go to Atlanta.

Julio Lugo had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Baltimore is now just 3-12 in the last 15 meetings versus Toronto.

Brad Bergesen (3-7) allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings to suffer another loss. The right-hander hasn't tasted victory since May 12 against Seattle.

Getting the nod for the Orioles tonight is Jeremy Guthrie, who is seeking his first win since May 25th. The right-hander is 0-6 with a 6.32 ERA over his last eight starts, allowing four earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings of a 6-4 win over Texas in his last outing on July 8th.

In 12 career starts against the Blue Jays, Guthrie is 2-5 with a 3.74 ERA. His current winless drought started against Toronto on May 30th, when he surrendered four earned runs and seven hits over six innings of a 6-1 setback.

Brandon Morrow will toe the rubber for Toronto and he is looking for his first road victory since September 12th. The hard throwing right-hander has really struggled away from home this season, going 0-5 with a 6.80 ERA in nine starts on the road.

In his last start, Morrow only lasted four innings, yielding five runs - four earned - and eight hits in the team's eventual 9-5 home win against Boston on July 10th.

Morrow's lone career start against Baltimore came on April 9th, when he permitted five earned runs over five innings. He walked five and did not receive a decision in Toronto's 7-6 triumph.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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