4-0 now on the season, three nights, three big winners and time to keep this money train rolling with this pick:
Toronto Blue Jays ML +109
The Jays are playing some good ball, the Tigers are not (3-7 in their last 10 games), both aces on the mound and you are giving us the Blue Jays at home as an underdog. All the best to anyone taking the Tigers but it won't end well. I have to admit the time ideal time to back the Jays may have been last night in Game 1 because they are lights out in Game 1 situations this season. Things didn't look too good for the Jays earlier this week when it was announced that MLB's Home Run King from 2010 and 2011 (so far) Jose Bautista was going to miss some time with a neck injury and I can confirm he is not in the lineup again today but the rest of the team has stepped up big time. The Jays are hitting .267 in their last 10 games and although most of the success has come against left handed pitchers, they are still hitting .260 at home against righties and their pitching has been tremendous recently. The Tigers had a great series at home against the Yankees this week taking three of four games but don't forget they were swept in Cleveland last weekend and winning on the road continues to be a problem.
First of all, the Tigers bullpen is an absolute joke, one of the worst in Major League Baseball so far this season with a 5.42 ERA (6.56 ERA on the road) and 7.56 ERA in their last 10 games. The Tigers come into this game batting only .242 on the season against left handed pitchers and now they have to deal with the best the Blue Jays have to offer from their young stable of pitchers...Ricky Romero. The Jays starting staff has carried the team the last couple of weeks with a 2.96 ERA in their last 10 games and the bullpen has been tremendous with a 1.42 ERA in their last 10 games so it might not take much on the offensive side of things to win this game. The Jays are 0-3 in Ricky Romero's three day time starts in 2011 but he has pitched well enough to win only problem being that the team provides only 0.67 runs of support per game in those games. Disgusting. Having said that, Justin Verlander is on the mound for the Tigers and the team is 0-2 in his two career starts in the Rogers Centre. Verlander has made 6 Quality Starts in 2011 (all of his starts) but has not lasted more than 6.0 innings in three of his last four starts and that's a huge problem with this bullpen. In his last home start, Romero lost to the Tampa Bay Rays but struck out 10 batters, allowed 2 ER's and lost 2-0 because he got no run support. Keep in mind Detroit is 0-2 in Verlander's two day time starts in 2011 and he has been given only 1.50 runs of support per start in those two starts so it's both teams who have struggled to support their guy with day time run support. Another reason I keep going back to the bullpen and how much better the Blue Jays pen has been and how much better the Jays are hitting the ball than the Tigers right now.
You have to be careful when you go against the Tigers because some of the big bats in their lineup love facing lefties and the team is 5-1 in their last six games versus left-handed starting pitchers but the Tigers don't win on the road when Verlander pitches, winning only 3 of his last 11 away starts dating back to last season. As a matter of fact Detroit is one of the worst road teams in MLB over the course of the last two seasons and as well as Verlander has pitched the team is only 1-4 in his last five starts. The same can be said for the Jays who have not supported Romero with any runs and that has been the main reason for their 1-4 record in his last five starts the Jays are 10-4 in their last 14 games versus right handed starting pitchers and I never mind betting on this team at home where they have consistently won games the last two seasons. There also seems to be some kind of relationship between Home Plate Umpire Jerry Meals and the Toronto Blue Jays because the boys in blue are 6-1 the last seven times he has been behind the plate for one of their games and at times Meals seems to support high scoring games, which obviously favors the Jays with the way the Tigers bullpen has pitched. At the end of the day, both starting pitchers have been good but the Blue Jays have the hotter lineup and the better bullpen which should be the difference in this game.
:toast:
Toronto Blue Jays ML +109
The Jays are playing some good ball, the Tigers are not (3-7 in their last 10 games), both aces on the mound and you are giving us the Blue Jays at home as an underdog. All the best to anyone taking the Tigers but it won't end well. I have to admit the time ideal time to back the Jays may have been last night in Game 1 because they are lights out in Game 1 situations this season. Things didn't look too good for the Jays earlier this week when it was announced that MLB's Home Run King from 2010 and 2011 (so far) Jose Bautista was going to miss some time with a neck injury and I can confirm he is not in the lineup again today but the rest of the team has stepped up big time. The Jays are hitting .267 in their last 10 games and although most of the success has come against left handed pitchers, they are still hitting .260 at home against righties and their pitching has been tremendous recently. The Tigers had a great series at home against the Yankees this week taking three of four games but don't forget they were swept in Cleveland last weekend and winning on the road continues to be a problem.
First of all, the Tigers bullpen is an absolute joke, one of the worst in Major League Baseball so far this season with a 5.42 ERA (6.56 ERA on the road) and 7.56 ERA in their last 10 games. The Tigers come into this game batting only .242 on the season against left handed pitchers and now they have to deal with the best the Blue Jays have to offer from their young stable of pitchers...Ricky Romero. The Jays starting staff has carried the team the last couple of weeks with a 2.96 ERA in their last 10 games and the bullpen has been tremendous with a 1.42 ERA in their last 10 games so it might not take much on the offensive side of things to win this game. The Jays are 0-3 in Ricky Romero's three day time starts in 2011 but he has pitched well enough to win only problem being that the team provides only 0.67 runs of support per game in those games. Disgusting. Having said that, Justin Verlander is on the mound for the Tigers and the team is 0-2 in his two career starts in the Rogers Centre. Verlander has made 6 Quality Starts in 2011 (all of his starts) but has not lasted more than 6.0 innings in three of his last four starts and that's a huge problem with this bullpen. In his last home start, Romero lost to the Tampa Bay Rays but struck out 10 batters, allowed 2 ER's and lost 2-0 because he got no run support. Keep in mind Detroit is 0-2 in Verlander's two day time starts in 2011 and he has been given only 1.50 runs of support per start in those two starts so it's both teams who have struggled to support their guy with day time run support. Another reason I keep going back to the bullpen and how much better the Blue Jays pen has been and how much better the Jays are hitting the ball than the Tigers right now.
You have to be careful when you go against the Tigers because some of the big bats in their lineup love facing lefties and the team is 5-1 in their last six games versus left-handed starting pitchers but the Tigers don't win on the road when Verlander pitches, winning only 3 of his last 11 away starts dating back to last season. As a matter of fact Detroit is one of the worst road teams in MLB over the course of the last two seasons and as well as Verlander has pitched the team is only 1-4 in his last five starts. The same can be said for the Jays who have not supported Romero with any runs and that has been the main reason for their 1-4 record in his last five starts the Jays are 10-4 in their last 14 games versus right handed starting pitchers and I never mind betting on this team at home where they have consistently won games the last two seasons. There also seems to be some kind of relationship between Home Plate Umpire Jerry Meals and the Toronto Blue Jays because the boys in blue are 6-1 the last seven times he has been behind the plate for one of their games and at times Meals seems to support high scoring games, which obviously favors the Jays with the way the Tigers bullpen has pitched. At the end of the day, both starting pitchers have been good but the Blue Jays have the hotter lineup and the better bullpen which should be the difference in this game.
:toast:
