MLB Betting – Orioles, Giants Meet For First Time In Six Years

The Baltimore Orioles have lost eight straight road games and the prospects of losing a ninth look fairly good on Monday.

MLB Game Odds:
Baltimore Orioles +170
Chris Tillman – (R)
San Francisco Giants -200
Jonathan Sanchez – (L)

Run Line:
Orioles +1.5 -125
Giants -1.5 +105

Total:
7.5 O -110
7.5 U -110

Location: AT&T Park – San Francisco, California
Game Time: Monday, June 14th 2010; 10:15 PM EST
TV: MASN, CSBA 

The Week That Was: Orioles

It’s been a pretty poor week for the Orioles, although you could say that for every week so far for Baltimore; they’ve been that bad all season.  

The week started at home against the Yankees, who decided to break out of their offensive slump while visiting Camden Yards. The Yanks exploded for 12 runs in the opening game, powered by a Curtis Granderson grand slam. The next game saw less scoring but a similar result. C.C. Sabathia handcuffed Baltimore, and the Orioles lost 4-2. However, they were able to avoid a sweep, edging New York 4-3 in the final game of the series. Baltimore starter Jake Arrieta pitched six innings of four-hit ball for the win in his MLB debut.  

However, the orange birds weren’t able to avoid the brooms over the weekend. New York’s other team, the Mets, came into Baltimore and swept the Orioles, outscoring the AL-East basement dwellers 19-6 in the three game series. The worst loss came on Sunday, as the Orioles allowed four home runs en route to being routed 11-4 by the Mets.  

The Week That Was: Giants

San Francisco has had a busy, and overall successful, past week. It started on the road in Cincinnati, where the Giants won the first two games of a four-game series against the Reds. Matt Cain threw a complete game shutout in the second game, a difficult task in the batter-friendly Cincinnati ballpark. The next two games, however, did not go as well for San Fran. They dropped both contests, including a late collapse in Thursday’s finale. The Giants allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, eventually losing 7-6. 

A home interleague series against Oakland came next, and the Giants promptly swept their Bay-Area brothers out of their park. San Francisco got solid pitching from their Big Three, as Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain all recorded wins in the weekend sweep. An encouraging sign came in the form of an awakened offense, as the Giants scored at least five runs in all three wins. For a team that ranks low in the NL in most batting categories, it was a welcome change of pace.  

The Matchup

In just three starts this season, Chris Tillman has yet to really impress Baltimore management; the 22-year old is 0-2 with a 5.54 ERA. It’s not going to get any easier for the young right hander, playing for a team that will rarely provide enough run support to make-up for a poor outing. It could be a long season of learning for the former second-round pick. Tillman is also battling expectations, as he is pegged to be a future star for the young Orioles squad.  
Jonathan Sanchez is also a young starter pegged for greatness, although his season has gone much better than Tillman’s. Although his 4-5 record isn’t great, his 2.82 ERA and 1.15 WHIP proves he’s pitched much better than his record may indicate. A lot of this has to do with San Francisco’s inability to score many runs. Sanchez has the stuff to be just as dominant as the rest of the stars in San Francisco’s rotation.  

MLB Betting Pick: Giants