Submitted by Teddy Covers
Baltimore (Bergesen) +125 at Cleveland (Tomlin) O/U 9
Recommendation: Baltimore
If you think Buck Showalter can’t have an impact on the hapless Baltimore Orioles, you’d better think again! This last place squad has gone 7-1 since Showalter took over last week; pounding out 14 runs in a blowout win here in Cleveland last night. Rookie righty Jake Arrieta: “It’s real fun to be an Oriole right now.” Showalter is known for his player accountability and his attention to detail, two things that were noticeably lacking from this squad for the first four months of the season. We can expect Baltimore to continue to offer real value for their supporters as the betting markets struggle to catch up with this team’s current reality. Orioles’ starter Brad Bergesen, like the team, underachieved for months this year. But Bergesen has been rock solid in each of his last two starts, throwing seven full innings each time while allowing a combined ten hits and three runs, with a 10-2 strikeout to walk ratio. Now that Cleveland has cooled off with three straight defeats following their own post-All Star break hot streak; they’ve got no business as favorites here. Take Baltimore.
