MLB Free Picks – Blue Jays vs Angels

Friday night Shaun Marcum makes his first home appearance in 19 months when the AL East leading Toronto Blue Jays play host to Jared Weaver and the Los Angeles Angels.

The MLB odds makers have this game as a pick’em; both teams will pay -110 on the moneyline. The game total is set at 8½ runs.

MLB Betting Odds
April 16, 2010
Los Angeles Angels -110
Jered Weaver – R
Toronto Blue Jays -110
Shaun Marcum – R
Game Total 8½

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto ON
Game Time: 7:07
TV: FSW, RSN

In his last start at the Rogers Centre, Marcum felt numbness in his right forearm and after leaving just 2½ innings in, he then missed the rest of 2008 and all of 2009 after receiving Tommy John surgery. To his credit he’s come back and looks solid despite a 0-0 record and a 3.46 ERA, he’s struck out 11 and only walked two batters in two games.

The surprising Jays lead the AL East through a combination of solid pitching and excellent hitting, the man that can take most of the credit in the lineup is Vernon Wells. Wells have been much malign and rightly so over the past couple of seasons. Former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi gave wells a huge $107-million dollar contract but he has never come close to living up to expectations. He has been a notoriously slow starter but this season, he’s knocked out 5 homeruns and 10 RBI, while batting .343. He’s likely to fall back to earth and so are the Jays but both Wells and the Jays are enjoying their best start in half a decade. Things could get tough for Wells Friday night as he is just 1-15 lifetime versus Angels starter Jared Weaver.

Jared Weaver (1-0, 3.00 ERA) has been great against the Blue Jays with a 5-1 record and 3.00 ERA and maybe it will be enough to turn the Angels around. LAA got off to a much slower start to the season than they would have liked but there is plenty of time to turn it around.

For baseball bettors, the Angels have cost you 4.90 units while the Blue Jays have made you 5.88 units. The nice total for the Blue Jays is a result of their low expectations this season and the negative number for the Angels is just the opposite, they have failed to meet the baseball odds makers’ expectations.

Who will meet the expectations tonight? I like Marcum to shine in his first appearance in Toronto since injuring his elbow in 2008. The Blue Jays will fall to earth and the lower half of the AL East standings but not for a few more weeks.

Baseball Betting Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -110