Vernon Wells, red-hot Blue Jays host Chicago White Sox
Yes, it's too early to get excited and call a series crucial. But the four games in Toronto between the Blue Jays and White Sox are still very critical to my futures bets.
It's beginning to appear that the Blue Jays obituary I wrote before the season began was entirely premature.
Toronto is off to a 5-1 start on the 2010 campaign and the top money-winner on the MLB charts at a profit of at least six units, depending on when bets were laid. All six games have been on the road, and now the Blue Jays return home to open a 10-game homestand beginning with four against the White Sox. In fitting fashion, Chicago was a team I expected great things from in 2010 and is, instead, off to a slow start.
Monday's series opener finds Brian Tallet on the mound for the home team against Jake Peavy for the visitors. Opening lines listed Toronto as the 110 underdogs to Chicago's 120 chalk. It will marks the seventh straight game the Jays have been underdogs.
The total for the game is 8-8½.
Thanks to some late runs by the Rangers, the Blue Jays lost their season opener at Texas, 5-4. They have since reeled off five wins, the latest a 5-2 victory in Baltimore on Sunday to sweep the Orioles. Toronto was a 100-110 'dog at close for Sunday's game, and the seven-run final left the Jays 3-2 'under' on the young season with one 'push.'
Tallet (1-0, 2.70) won his season debut in Texas, 7-4, whiffing six in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two homers (Vlad Guerrero, Nelson Cruz) and four runs total, two of them unearned. He made one start versus Chicago in 2009, working 5 2/3 innings of a 14-0 rout on the Windy City's South Side.
The long ball has keyed Toronto's quick start; Toronto batters have swatted 11 over the fence in six contests. Vernon Wells and Alex Gonzalez each have four, with Gonzalez belting two on Sunday.
Blue Jays relievers have also been solid. Cito Gaston's bullpen owns a 1.88 ERA through its first 14 1/3 innings, and has allowed just one earned run since Opening Day.
The White Sox, my pick to win the AL Central, snapped a four-game losing skid on Sunday with a 5-4 win at home over the Twins to avoid being swept. Chicago closed as 130 chalk in the game, with the final score just slipping above the 8 ½-run total. It was the first 'over' for a Pale Hose game this season after four 'unders' and a 'push.'
Minnesota saw the potential tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game, lifting the White Sox to 2-4 and down about three units. Both of Chicago's wins have been with Mark Buehrle on the hill.
Peavy (0-1, 5.40) got a no-decision in his season debut last Wednesday, a 5-3 loss to the Indians. The right-hander was staked to a 3-0 lead, but couldn't hold it and watched from the bench as the Chicago bullpen was unable to keep Cleveland off the board.
In his first full season with the White Sox, Peavy will be making his first career appearance against the Blue Jays. He made five interleague starts AL East clubs while he was in San Diego, and the Pads went 3-2.
Aaron Hill, Toronto's slugging second sacker, is expected to miss the series opener on Monday and possibly beyond with a tight hamstring. Hill batted .370 (10-for-27) against ChiSox pitching in 2009 with two homers and six RBI.
Last season's head-to-head meetings saw the Blue Jays take six of seven, sweeping all four in Toronto. All seven were played by the middle of May before the Jays saw their fast start in '09 swirl down the toilet. Four of the seven went 'over.'
First pitch Monday is set for 7:20 p.m. (ET). With the thermometer expected to be in the upper-40s, low-50s at the start, the Rogers Centre roof should be shut.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2009 season. Statistical sources for this article were Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, ESPN.com and, of course, S-BEE-R-dot-com!
Yes, it's too early to get excited and call a series crucial. But the four games in Toronto between the Blue Jays and White Sox are still very critical to my futures bets.
It's beginning to appear that the Blue Jays obituary I wrote before the season began was entirely premature.
Toronto is off to a 5-1 start on the 2010 campaign and the top money-winner on the MLB charts at a profit of at least six units, depending on when bets were laid. All six games have been on the road, and now the Blue Jays return home to open a 10-game homestand beginning with four against the White Sox. In fitting fashion, Chicago was a team I expected great things from in 2010 and is, instead, off to a slow start.
Monday's series opener finds Brian Tallet on the mound for the home team against Jake Peavy for the visitors. Opening lines listed Toronto as the 110 underdogs to Chicago's 120 chalk. It will marks the seventh straight game the Jays have been underdogs.
The total for the game is 8-8½.
Thanks to some late runs by the Rangers, the Blue Jays lost their season opener at Texas, 5-4. They have since reeled off five wins, the latest a 5-2 victory in Baltimore on Sunday to sweep the Orioles. Toronto was a 100-110 'dog at close for Sunday's game, and the seven-run final left the Jays 3-2 'under' on the young season with one 'push.'
Tallet (1-0, 2.70) won his season debut in Texas, 7-4, whiffing six in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two homers (Vlad Guerrero, Nelson Cruz) and four runs total, two of them unearned. He made one start versus Chicago in 2009, working 5 2/3 innings of a 14-0 rout on the Windy City's South Side.
The long ball has keyed Toronto's quick start; Toronto batters have swatted 11 over the fence in six contests. Vernon Wells and Alex Gonzalez each have four, with Gonzalez belting two on Sunday.
Blue Jays relievers have also been solid. Cito Gaston's bullpen owns a 1.88 ERA through its first 14 1/3 innings, and has allowed just one earned run since Opening Day.
The White Sox, my pick to win the AL Central, snapped a four-game losing skid on Sunday with a 5-4 win at home over the Twins to avoid being swept. Chicago closed as 130 chalk in the game, with the final score just slipping above the 8 ½-run total. It was the first 'over' for a Pale Hose game this season after four 'unders' and a 'push.'
Minnesota saw the potential tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game, lifting the White Sox to 2-4 and down about three units. Both of Chicago's wins have been with Mark Buehrle on the hill.
Peavy (0-1, 5.40) got a no-decision in his season debut last Wednesday, a 5-3 loss to the Indians. The right-hander was staked to a 3-0 lead, but couldn't hold it and watched from the bench as the Chicago bullpen was unable to keep Cleveland off the board.
In his first full season with the White Sox, Peavy will be making his first career appearance against the Blue Jays. He made five interleague starts AL East clubs while he was in San Diego, and the Pads went 3-2.
Aaron Hill, Toronto's slugging second sacker, is expected to miss the series opener on Monday and possibly beyond with a tight hamstring. Hill batted .370 (10-for-27) against ChiSox pitching in 2009 with two homers and six RBI.
Last season's head-to-head meetings saw the Blue Jays take six of seven, sweeping all four in Toronto. All seven were played by the middle of May before the Jays saw their fast start in '09 swirl down the toilet. Four of the seven went 'over.'
First pitch Monday is set for 7:20 p.m. (ET). With the thermometer expected to be in the upper-40s, low-50s at the start, the Rogers Centre roof should be shut.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2009 season. Statistical sources for this article were Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, ESPN.com and, of course, S-BEE-R-dot-com!
