Orioles have been very, very good to me this season, and I like them a lot tonight.
-168/+158 is, in my opinion, is a whacked out line, and here is why.
First off, Baltimore is actually the better team, sitting on top of the AL East,3 games better than the last place Red Sox.
I've seen Wei-Yin Chen pitch a few times this season, impressed with his arsenal.
He's a control specialist who works around 92mph with a plus breaking ball as his put-away pitch.
That 92 mph heater looks 100 after he throws that curve of his, I'm telling you people, he has a serious Uncle Charlie.
His last start was off, he did have command trouble, but I really think that's an exception, not the rule tonight. All starters will have 6 very good and 6 very bad starts a season, it happens.
Chen enters tonight 4-2 on the season 3.75 ERA 1.33 WH/IP ratio, (he's better than that 1.33, last start inflated that number) those are good numbers pitching in this division.
Beckett goes for the Sox tonight, in case you haven't noticed, Beckett isn't that very good any more, sports a mortal 4.26 ERA, WH/IP ratio is actually kind of low, 1.23. but he's good for at least one gopher ball a game, and he doesn't strike out 8.5 a game any more, it's 6.5 a game these days, and, in case you haven't notices, Baltimore can rake with the NY Yankees and Texas Rangers of the world.
Adam Jones is having a MVP type season, won't win it, but he's .312 16-35 and is 11-35 (.314) lifetime versus Beckett. Chavez is .370 (10 for 27) Mark Reynolds has taken Josh deep twice, Andino at the top of the order is 5 for 12 against Beckett, Hardy spanks him, even Wieters.
Overall Orioles are 45 for 153 (.296) lifetime against Beckett, I took Markakis out of the equation, now some of you don't put much credence in lifetime hitters versus pitchers, but I do, I have a large sample size of 153, and 4 regulars hit Beckett hard, I can't ignore that data.
Love the Orioles at a very generous +158, I personally think the line is 18 cents off in my favor, and I am going to exploit that 3* If it goes south, it goes south, so be it, but I can see another Reynolds bomb or Adam Jones going deep, and I can see a 5th inning Beckett exit.