American League Baseball Betting for July 17, 2016

7 American League games on the board for Saturday with the Texas Rangers playing at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs in Interleague action.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES AT TAMPA BAY RAYS:

The Baltimore Orioles have won four straight coming out of the All Star Break and now have a two game lead atop the division over second place Boston and a 4 game lead over the third place Toronto Blue Jays. The O’s have won the first two games of this weekend series against the lowly Tampa Bay Rays and will try to complete the sweep today.

Tampa Bay is a dumpster fire. They’ve lost 8 straight and 11 of 12. Hard to find any situational record that doesn’t show a ton of losses and a ton of money lost for Tampa Bay backers. Sunday’s starter for Tampa will be veteran right hander Jake Odorizzi. He’s not the worst pitcher in the world though his numbers this season are decidedly mediocre. He’s got a 4.47 ERA overall and a 1.271 WHIP. Tampa Bay has gone 9-10 in his 19 starts which is surprisingly decent for such a lousy team. Of course they’ve lost 7 of his 10 home starts despite Odorizzi’s 3.90 ERA and 1.144 WHIP. He’s been terrible in his last two starts and Tampa Bay has lost his last five starts. Not really a guy I want my money riding on. He could be primed for a strong effort here as word on the street is that the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking at Odorizzi to bolster their starting rotation depth.

Pitching phenom in the making Dylan Bundy will make his Major League debut for Baltimore. The current plan is to pencil Bundy in to the O’s rotation and let him get some Major League experience. At any rate, he won’t get too deep into the game today. Word is that it’s a planned ‘bullpen day’ and Bundy is just the guy who’ll take the ball at the start of the game. Tampa Bay has gone 23-45 -27.9 units against right handers, however, and they’re the perfect opponent for Bundy’s debut. No reason to think that this won’t be another Baltimore win.

BET BALTIMORE ORIOLES -115 OVER TAMPA BAY RAYS

TORONTO BLUE JAYS AT OAKLAND A’S:

Well this was unexpected. Toronto entered the All Star Break as one of the hottest teams in the American League and facing a weak opponent in their first series of the second half seemed like ‘easy money’. Oakland is in a pitched battle with the Los Angeles Angels to avoid last place in the AL West. They lead the Halos by 1.5 games but are far off the pace set by the divisional leaders. The A’s are 13.5 games behind the first place Texas Rangers, 9 games back of the second place Houston Astros and 6 games back of the third place Seattle Mariners. Toronto has won 7 of 10 and are 4 games back of the Baltimore Orioles and 2 games back of the second place Boston Red Sox.

But here’s the unexpected part–Oakland has won the first two games of this series and can complete the sweep today. In all fairness, it’s not like they’ve manhandled the Jays and both wins came by a single run. But they still go down as a ‘W’ for Oakland and a ‘L’ for Toronto. And for Jays fans this is the kind of erratic play that has bedeviled them for much of this season.

Matchup of lefthanders in this game as Toronto will start J.A. Happ. Happ’s numbers aren’t amazing but the bottom line is that win he starts Toronto usually wins. The Jays have won 13 of his 18 starts this season including six straight. Happ has a 3.36 ERA on the year with a 1.202 WHIP. His road starts and L3 starts show comparable numbers. He might not be Stephen Strasburg, but he’s a capable and consistent pitcher and Toronto can use all of the consistency they can get. Oakland will start Rich Hill who has become one of the surprise bright spots in the A’s rotation. He’s got a 2.25 ERA and 1.092 WHIP overall and Oakland has won 9 of his 13 starts. At home, he’s got a 3.45 ERA with Oakland losing 4 of his 6 assignments.

Toronto can’t afford a sweep and will get the win here.

BET TORONTO BLUE JAYS -105 OVER OAKLAND A’s

About the Author: Jim Murphy

For more than 25 years, Jim Murphy has written extensively on sports betting as well as handicapping theory and practice. Jim Murphy has been quoted in media from the Wall Street Journal to REASON Magazine. Murphy worked as a radio and podcasting host broadcasting to an international audience that depended on his expertise and advice. Murphy is an odds making consultant for sports and 'non-sport novelty bets' focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology, financial markets and more.