The series finale finds a pair of solid right-handers facing off against each other at Fenway Park this afternoon.
Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
Toronto fell 5-4 in 11 innings in Saturday night’s contest against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, as reliever Casey Janssen served up a walk off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. “I just kind of talked myself out of a pitch,” Janssen said. “You can second guess. If I get him out, it’s the right pitch. If I don’t, then it’s the wrong pitch.” The Blue Jays are 4-10 against the Red Sox this season, including a 2-3 mark on the road in this series. The club is 13-27 versus Boston dating back to the middle of the 2008 season, but they’ve actually won five of the last eight contests at Fenway Park. Toronto dropped below .500 on the road with yesterday’s loss, currently standing at 33-34 away from the Rogers Centre (+590). The Blue Jays are still bring a solid 27-21 mark against division opponents into the series finale (+1,120) and the total is 22-25 O/U in those contests. It’s important to note that the team is 7-10 as a road underdog of +125 to +150 in 2010 (-60) and 18-31 in this situation the last three years (-670).
Continue reading “Sunday MLB Preview – Blue Jays at Red Sox”
San Francisco captured a 6-3 road victory over the Cardinals in the opening game of this three-game series in St. Louis. The Giants are now 9-9 in August after completing a 20-8 July, but the club is happy with its recent results overall. In 83 games of scoring three-or-more runs in a game, the team has produced a 62-20 record (.756), which is the second-best winning percentage in the majors in that particular situation. The club is 3-4 in its current 12-game stretch in which they play against opponents in the heart of the playoff picture. San Francisco has posted a 32-31 record on the road this season, which is the fourth-best mark in the National League behind San Diego, Cincinnati and Florida. The team has compiled a 5-7 record as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (-30) and the total is 8-4 O/U in those contests. It’s also important to state the Giants are 12-7 when playing on Saturday (+600).
Atlanta picked up a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs to open this three-game set at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel cleared the bases with a two-out triple in the ninth inning in order for the club to move 22 games over .500 on the year. “It’s like there’s something in the water around here,” Ankiel said. “It’s fun. It’s like no matter what, we’re never out of it. It’s fun to be a part of it.” The win also gave the club its 37th comeback victory of the season, which leads all of baseball. Atlanta is 23-16 in day games this season (+450) and 70-66 over the last three years (-320). The club is also just a game over .500 versus southpaws (22-21, -490) and the total is 20-21 O/U in those contests.
Two teams who are among the favorites to meet in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV square off here when the Cowboys (1-1) visit the San Diego Chargers (1-0) on Saturday. Both teams fell short of expectations last year when they each lost in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, but they have not lost focus with their sights set on a much bigger prize this season.
For the second consecutive week, the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (0-1) held joint practices with their opponent leading up to their preseason game. The Saints hope that will not work against them again when they face the Houston Texans (0-1) in the preseason for the third year in a row on Saturday. New Orleans is a small favorite at -1 after losing to the New England Patriots 27-24 last week following a similar routine of joint practices.
The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Cincinnati Friday night to try and tame the Bengals. The game promises to be an exciting matchup with offensive firepower coming from each side. Oddsmakers have predictably listed the home Bengals as the favorite, with Cincy giving a fieldgoal. But the line worthy of a play is the total score.
