AL East Picks: June 27, 2013
With the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays recently propelling themselves over the .500 mark, the AL East has become the most competitive and thus, most entertaining division in all of baseball. With five winning clubs, fans and bettors are sure to get great games out of the East everyday and today will be no different, as the New York Yankees take on the Texas Rangers; the Baltimore Orioles battle the Cleveland Indians; and Boston Red Sox aim to hold their ground against the surging Jays. As always, we’ve got the winning picks for each contest, so feel free to check ’em out!
Texas Rangers -1.5 at New York Yankees +1.5Â
Although Phil Hughes has struggled immensely at home this season, his opponent on the mound, Derek Holland, has had his own share of misfortune in New York against the Yankees.
Hughes has an unbelievably bloated ERA of 13.91 in his last three outings at Yankee Stadium, while Holland has failed to beat the Yankees in seven tries; starts accompanied by an ERA of 8.69.
Overall, Holland’s had a better year and the Rangers’ bats have helped out their starters more than the Yankees’ have lately, but this one is pretty much a toss up and since that is the case, I like the Yankees here at home to at least keep things close and cover +1.5 today. Of course, they could also pull out the win going against a starter they have dominated in the past.
Cleveland Indians +1.5 at Baltimore Orioles -1.5
In a rotation that has few, if any stars, Miguel Gonzalez (5-3, 3.75 ERA) has been one of the true standouts for the Orioles this season and they’ll certainly need him to shine tonight if they’re going to cool off the sizzling bats of the clubbin’ Cleveland Indians.
As winners of seven of their last 10 games, the Tribe has thrived not only on the plate, but on the hill as well. Today, they’ll send out Corey Kluber (6-4, 3.68), a formidable opponent for Gonzalez and one who is on a hot streak of his own, posting a 1.66 ERA over his last three starts with an unblemished record to boot.
When the Orioles are hot, they are one of the toughest teams in baseball to beat, but right now, it’s the Indians who are hot, so I’d stick with them to cover +1.5 today.
Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 at Boston Red Sox -1.5Â
With eight wins in their last 10 ballgames, the Blue Jays are finally playing the way many thought they would at the beginning of the season. But considering they are still in last place in the East, they’ll need to continue their current successful run and do it against the team at the top of the East standings.
Of course, that team is Boston, who many thought might be in the Jays’ current position, as they were for much of last year. But after finding a winning formula of solid pitching and clutch hitting, the 2013 Bo Sox are reminding many fans and bettors of a Beantown team that won the East not long ago.
The Sox are 5-4 against the Jays so far this year and one of those wins was fueled by, or rather, due to Jon Lester’s one-hit complete-game performance back on May 10. Lester is 2-0 with a 2.05 in three starts against Toronto this year, so there’s certainly no reason he can’t shut the Jays down again today.
But to earn the win, Boston will have to find hits and more importantly, runs off of Jays starter Chien-Ming Wang. Unfortunately, no one’s been able to do that lately, as Wang hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 16 2/3 innings of work.
This one could turn into a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, which could favor Boston at home, but considering the game will be close either way, I’d take the Blue Jays to cover +1.5.
