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Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles Odds & Picks

Written May 13, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

orioles-rays-preview-051309 The Rays continue their early season slide last night as they fell to the Orioles 7-5. That puts then at 15-19 on the season. Starter Andy Sonnanstine got rocked as he was not able to hold an early lead the offense gave him. Carlos Pena has began to come down to earth as B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro continue to be invisible at the plate. Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford have been fantastic this year as Crawford leads the league in stolen bases and Longoria leads in RBIs. Even with those two contributing in big ways it is not nearly enough to get this team back to the playoffs. The pitching must be better as well, much better. Tonight the Rays send 6′9 Jeff Niemann to the mound. To date he has a 2-3 record with a 5.65 ERA. He seems to be a very Jekyll and Hyde pitcher as he has looked sharp at times while also looking miserable. The 26 year old rookie will look to have a statement game tonight and prove he belongs in this rotation, not to mention Tampa has lost two straight and must avoid another long slide. Crawford getting on base is always crucial for this team. However, the x-factor for the Rays will be Pat Burrell. They need his numbers to pick up. Look for him to have a nice game tonight. Today’s MLB odds have been posted and the Rays are listed at -109 over the Orioles, with the total set for 11 runs.

The Baltimore Orioles are 14-19 on the year. These are not your father O’s though that just roll over and call it quits. They have a trio that can go to battle with almost any other teams. Brain Roberts, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis all have speed and power. Aubrey Huff is no slouch either. Down the road this will surely be a playoff caliber team. After a nice win last night Baltimore looks to get another tonight as they send rookie Bradley Bergesen to the mound. The 22 year old rookie is 1-0 though his first four starts with a 4.98 ERA.. The right handed Bergesen has given up 31 hits in 21.2 innings. That is not a good sign as he faces a team that has a bunch of hitter that hit for average. It will be crucial for him to keep Crawford, Upton and Iwamura off the base paths and they are speed demons. Expect Markakis to of course play a big role if the Orioles are to win this game. He is the star that keeps this team going. Ya know, we say how competitive they have been, how improved they are along with their up-rise of talent, it needs to be noted they are still five games under .500. They play a team who has not done much better but is coming off a World Series appearance. Will the O’s take two straight tonight? Not too sure about that.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: The Rays are 2-7 in their last nine games as a favorite. The orioles are 10-26 in their last 36 Wednesday games. Dating back to last season, they are 20-47 in their last 67 games overall. In the head to head area, Tampa is 22-8 in their last 30 meetings against Baltimore as the OVER is 10-4-1 in the last 15 meetings between the two. Tonight the trends will live true. Tampa will not lose two in a row in Camden yards. Niemann is the better young pitcher and speed makes young pitchers antsy. Tampa is a monstrous play here for me. BIG TIME MONEY MAKER. Picks below.

Betting Line: Tampa Bay Rays -109/Baltimore Orioles +101 & O/U 11 Runs

Jordan’s Picks: Tampa Bay Rays -109 (BEST BET) & OVER 11 Runs (small play)

A solid bounce back night as we nailed the Jays as our BEST BET and the UNDER 8.5 in the same game as Roy Halladay showed once again why he is the best pitcher in baseball (Johan is a good argument). The Pads were up 2-0 and looking strong until Peavy blew up. Milton Bradley took him deep which gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead and it was off from there as the pads lost 6-2. But, a nice profit night as we go two for three hitting out two bigger plays. The profit margin continues to climb while the percentages just grow by the day. Lets get busy.

Documented MLB Record:

48-25 OVERALL

18-9 BEST BET

Be sure you also see what some of our other hot handicappers have on tap for today with their top-rated MLB picks. They can help you win even more this season when you bet on baseball.

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