David Malinsky
New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays
PICK: Toronto Blue Jays 4*
We have been letting the trickle down effect work in the marketplace on this one, with the Yankees drawing the usual money in an underdog role to get the price into the low 120's. Now it is time to step in once again vs. the most over-rated team in the game, and a most vulnerable starter.
While the injuries to the pitching staff have generated much of the tabloid fodder for a disappointing Yankee season, the bottom line is that without Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, the offense has been strictly middle of the pack in the American League, where they rate 7th in runs scored. And while Matsui may finally return tonight, there is little reason to expect him to get right back into form, particularly against A. J. Burnett. And it is the pitching mismatch that really keys this one.
Burnett has over-powered the Yankees to the tune of 3-0/1.24 in his last four starts against them, including a gem from this mound right before the All Star break, when he carried a shutout into the 9th inning of an eventual 4-1 win, posting more strikeouts than hits + walks combined. That was part of an explosive current 7-0/2.89 run that he has here in the Rogers Centre, and in a game that both he and the Blue Jays behind him will bring a special focus (they only trail New York by two games in the standings), we can expect that form to continue.
And then there is Darrell Rasner. We cashed a 6* ticket against him in his last outing, and the fact that he is even taking the mound as the starter tonight tells you all you need to know about the current Yankee state of affairs. Rasner is merely a journeyman with mediocre stuff, and all it took was some time for the SCOUT ing reports to get around before he become easy fodder for A. L. hitters. He has worked to an ugly 1-5/6.80 over his last nine appearances, with 63 hits allowed vs. only 27 strikeouts, the kind of ratio that relegates you to mop-up middle relief, if you can even keep a job at all. But Joe Girardi has no other viable options, so he must send him out there again. And a guy whose stuff is easy to read on a second look now faces an offense that got to him for four runs (three earned) over five innings from this mound on July 12th, despite being without Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. They are both back now, keying a current 5-2 surge over the Tigers and Red Sox that builds plenty of confidence for this setting.
New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays
PICK: Toronto Blue Jays 4*
We have been letting the trickle down effect work in the marketplace on this one, with the Yankees drawing the usual money in an underdog role to get the price into the low 120's. Now it is time to step in once again vs. the most over-rated team in the game, and a most vulnerable starter.
While the injuries to the pitching staff have generated much of the tabloid fodder for a disappointing Yankee season, the bottom line is that without Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui, the offense has been strictly middle of the pack in the American League, where they rate 7th in runs scored. And while Matsui may finally return tonight, there is little reason to expect him to get right back into form, particularly against A. J. Burnett. And it is the pitching mismatch that really keys this one.
Burnett has over-powered the Yankees to the tune of 3-0/1.24 in his last four starts against them, including a gem from this mound right before the All Star break, when he carried a shutout into the 9th inning of an eventual 4-1 win, posting more strikeouts than hits + walks combined. That was part of an explosive current 7-0/2.89 run that he has here in the Rogers Centre, and in a game that both he and the Blue Jays behind him will bring a special focus (they only trail New York by two games in the standings), we can expect that form to continue.
And then there is Darrell Rasner. We cashed a 6* ticket against him in his last outing, and the fact that he is even taking the mound as the starter tonight tells you all you need to know about the current Yankee state of affairs. Rasner is merely a journeyman with mediocre stuff, and all it took was some time for the SCOUT ing reports to get around before he become easy fodder for A. L. hitters. He has worked to an ugly 1-5/6.80 over his last nine appearances, with 63 hits allowed vs. only 27 strikeouts, the kind of ratio that relegates you to mop-up middle relief, if you can even keep a job at all. But Joe Girardi has no other viable options, so he must send him out there again. And a guy whose stuff is easy to read on a second look now faces an offense that got to him for four runs (three earned) over five innings from this mound on July 12th, despite being without Alex Rios and Vernon Wells. They are both back now, keying a current 5-2 surge over the Tigers and Red Sox that builds plenty of confidence for this setting.
