Haren, Athletics set to tangle with Orioles

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A couple of teams fighting for respectability within their own divisions battle it out tonight in the second of a three-game set from McAfee Coliseum, as the Oakland Athletics take on the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore, which will host East Division foes Tampa Bay and New York next week, got an outstanding effort from hurler Erik Bedard on Friday night as the major league leader in strikeouts fanned 11 batters en route to a 6-1 win for the visitors to the West Coast.

Bedard, who has 167 strikeouts in 2007, posted his fifth straight road win on Friday as he held the A's to just a single hit over seven innings of action. As far as the Baltimore offense was concerned, every batter had at least one hit, with Ramon Hernandez coming up with a pair. Brian Roberts plated two on the night.

The lone run for the A's came on a home run by Mark Ellis, while Mike Piazza and Bobby Crosby both struck out three times in the outing. Oakland starter Joe Blanton made it through 5 2/3 innings, permitting five earned runs on 10 hits, while striking out three in the setback.

The A's have now lost 10 of their last 11 outings, while Baltimore has won two of three contests and five of the last seven overall.

Carrying the majority of the weight for the Oakland starting staff this season has been Dan Haren, who takes the hill for the A's tonight at home.

The right-hander, who is already 2-0 with a scant 1.29 ERA versus the Orioles this season and 3-2 for his career, last pitched on Sunday against Minnesota on the road. Despite giving up a mere two runs on seven hits over six innings of work, Haren failed to factor into the decision in what became a 4-3 setback for the A's.

After losing only four of his first 16 appearances of the season, Oakland has dropped three of the last four and yet Haren still leads the AL in ERA at 2.33 this season.

While the A's hang their hopes on the 26-year old California native, Baltimore is opting for the more experienced Steve Trachsel, now in his 15th year in the majors.

The righty is returning from the 15-day DL and a rehab assignment, which means this is his first action with the O's since the end of June. Trachsel was lit up in his last major league start on June 29 versus the Angels, surrendering five runs on nine hits in just 1 2/3 innings. The Orioles have lost four straight Trachsel starts and five of the last six for a hurler who is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his career versus the A's.

Baltimore, which has taken three straight from the A's and has now evened the season series at three games apiece, is 13 1/2 games out of contention in the AL East and is a mere 21-30 on the road. Oakland, which is two games below .500 at home (24-26), is 11 1/2 games out of first in the AL West at the moment as well.

Roberts continues to lead the O's in batting at a .316 clip and is first with 61 runs scored, but the team continues to have issues with Melvin Mora (12 home runs, 41 RBI) on the disabled list with a sprained right foot. At the moment Shannon Stewart is the only regular on the A's roster hitting above .271, coming in at .304 for a team that is hitting a collective .250 through 96 games.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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