Blue Jays vs Rockies – Friday Night Baseball Picks

Baseball’s best pitcher will be on the mound in Friday night’s betting odds. That’s when Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies host the Toronto Blue Jays in some exciting interleague action.

Toronto Blue Jays (34-27 SU, 41-20 R/L, 29-29-3 O/U) at Colorado Rockies (30-30 SU, 30-30 R/L, 23-35-2 O/U)
Friday, June 11: 9:10 p.m.

Betting Odds:
Toronto: +1 ½, -120, +180 
(Ricky Romero-L)
Colorado: – 1 ½, EV, -220
(Ubaldo Jimenez-R)
Total Runs:
Over 7: -115
Under 7: -105

The 26-year-old Jimenez is not only having a great season, he’s having a historically great one, as we head into Friday night. The fire balling righty enters the game with an incredible 11-1 record and microscopic 0.78 ERA. You read that right, he’s giving up less than an earned run every nine innings. Looking at his game log leaves baseball bettors drooling, as Jimenez has allowed just two earned runs in his last 31 innings. Wow!

However if there’s one offense that seems capable of handling the incredible Jimenez, it’s that of the Toronto Blue Jays. While other teams in the American League- mainly the Rays and Yankees- get credit for their offensive firepower, it is actually the Blue Jays that are baseball’s most powerful team, leading baseball with 98 home runs as a club. Leading the charge is the dynamic duo of Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells in the outfield. The two have combined for 33 home runs on the young season and 85 RBI.

Toronto will also send their best pitcher to the mound as well on Friday, as Ricky Romero gets the call. Romero is quietly putting together a nice 2010 campaign, as he leads the Blue Jays in both ERA (3.06) and strikeouts (86), to go with an impressive 5-2 record. Save for one bad start a few weeks ago, Romero has been phenomenal, and has given up just three earned runs combined in his last two outings.

The Colorado offense which Romero will face is one that is struggling and a bit disappointing in 2010. Coming in, just about the only bright spot has been shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, and even “Tulo,” has only gotten hot of late, as he currently sits with a .309 batting average and eight home runs. The Rockies have also gotten some surprising power out of centerfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Despite being known mostly as a singles hitter in the minors, the thin air of Colorado has seemed to help Gonzalez, as he already has eight long balls on the season.

No matter how you break this game down, there is only one baseball bet to make Friday. That is with Jimenez and the Rockies.
Yes, Toronto’s offense is good, and Romero is their best pitcher. But when Jimenez is on the mound, magic seems to happen.

Again, the guy has given up just two earned runs in his last four combined starts, and hasn’t allowed more than two earned in any game so far. Even if Jimenez has a “bad,” day, it seems like Colorado’s offense will still be able to put up enough runs to pull through.

Take the Rockies in your Friday night baseball bet.

Aaron’s Pick: Colorado Money Line (-220)