Jays still have a lot to play for

Baseball Betting Lines

09/07/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pride, spoiler status, and individual accolades. That's about all the Toronto Blue Jays have left to play for in the 2010 season. With the Jays now equipped with a 40-man roster at their disposal, youngsters can use this month as a time to showcase their talents and leave a lasting impression in the eyes of the organization.

Some things to watch over the final month of the season:

IMPACTING THE RACE

Toronto will play 16 of its remaining 25 games against teams with playoff aspirations, starting with six straight home games against the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays after defeating the AL-West leading Rangers on Monday. The Jays will also visit the Boston Red Sox for three and host the New York Yankees for another three at the end of the month. Toronto will then end the season in Minnesota for four games against the Twins at Target Field.

A strong finish by the Blue Jays (71-66) may not only have an impact on the AL playoff race, but the team could reach the 80-win plateau for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The 75-87 record the Jays finished with in 2009 was the worst the club has posted since a 67-94 campaign in 2004. The success Toronto has achieved is in large part due to a strong and surprising pitching staff that has proven its worth in the AL East.

The four mainstays of the rotation - Shaun Marcum, Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow - have all strung together career years, going a combined 45-29 on the season.

Shawn Hill will at least temporality fill the void left by Morrow, who was shut down for the season due to an innings limit. Hill is slated to start the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday.

The Jays will round out the rotation with lefty Marc Rzepczynski who, despite his struggles, still remains an intriguing option for the remainder of the year after posting a 3.67 ERA over 11 starts in 2009. Rzepczynski has started consistently since mid-August and has a 1-3 record with a 6.62 ERA on the season.

GETTING ANOTHER LOOK

Catcher J.P. Arencibia and third basemen Jarrett Hoffpauir have both been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. Both players were PCL All-Stars and Arencibia's strong offensive campaign of .301-32-85 earned him PCL MVP honors.

Arencibia is in the long-term plans of the franchise but it's uncertain if that will result in a full-time gig behind the plate starting as early as next season. The current tandem of John Buck and Jose Molina are not guaranteed to be with the club in 2011, forcing management to decide on which, if any, backstop to bring back.

Buck will become a free agent at season's end and the Jays have a club option on Molina worth $1.2 million for 2011. If Toronto is confident enough with Arencibia, Molina will be the likely choice based on the attention that Buck is sure to garner on the open market.

Hoffpauir, meanwhile, will try to prove that at the age of 27 and a career spent almost entirely in the minor leagues, he's capable of filling a need at the major league level. Further, it just so happens that third base is a big question mark the Jays face heading into the 2011 season. His line of .295-16-73 for Las Vegas this year may have earned him a look if the Jays are unable to acquire an impact bat during the off-season.

MILESTONES

Jose Bautista is having a season that will entrench him in the Blue Jays' record books. The All-Star has a legitimate chance at setting the franchise's single-season home run record currently held by George Bell, who clubbed 47 in his MVP season of 1987. Bautista is sitting at 43, which ranks as the fourth- highest total in club history behind Bell, Jose Canseco (46) and Carlos Delgado (44).

The slugger has already surpassed the Jays' single-season total for walks (88) by a right-handed batter, previously held by Dave Winfield (82) in 1992. He's also in good position to set the team's all-time mark for highest slugging percentage and most extra-base hits in a season by a right-handed hitter.

Gregg, on the other hand, is having a career year despite the uncertainty that arises each time he takes to the mound. The 32-year old is likely to collect the most saves of his career and could post his best ERA and K/9 ratio as well. Gregg is two saves shy from his career-high of 32 set with the Florida Marlins in 2007 and his current ERA of 3.28 would be his lowest of any season. In addition, his 9.67 K/9 ratio is surely to pass his previous best of 9.32, also set in '07.

Gregg may not be the closer for the Jays moving forward but he has pitched effectively enough for the club to consider picking up his $4.5 million option for 2011.

With the club inching closer to reaching the next level, the Blue Jays should consider the playoffs a legitimate goal next year for the first time since 1993.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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