The Baltimore Orioles (37-34, $277) were toiling under .500 for much of the season, but have gone on a bit of a run of late to get themselves back to being a winning team.
They will look to keep rolling as they return home to host the Cleveland Indians (33-38, -$1,415) this weekend, including in Saturday’s middle game.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Baltimore really will be glad to return to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. They are 24-14 there while currently seven games under-.500 on the road.
Interestingly, the Indians are actually better on the road than at home which complicates things just a bit. Away from Progressive Field, the Tribe’s won 18 of their 33 games played.
The Indians are just finishing up a disappointing home stand now where they’ve dropped five of eight games.
While Cleveland is reeling, the Orioles are surging. Baltimore will aim to extend its series winning streak to six with a win against Boston on Thursday. One of their series wins in this stretch came against the Indians in Cleveland. Overall, the Birds have taken 14 of their last 19 games.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Cody Anderson will get another start for the Indians after he blanked the Rays through seven and two thirds innings in his Major League debut last Sunday.
Cleveland continues to search for a serviceable fifth starter, but the early returns on Anderson are quite promising.
The 24-year old right-hander was putting up some very strong numbers in the minors before getting the call to the big league club. In 10 Double-A starts, he was 3-2 with a 1.73 ERA and 1.019 WHIP in 52 innings. He then got promoted to Triple-A where he made three starts, throwing 19 1/3 innings with a 2.33 ERA and 1.138 WHIP.
Anderson will match up with a veteran hurler in Chris Tillman.
Tillman is the Orioles’ ace and has strung together a number of solid seasons since finding himself in 2012. His 2015 season, however, has been a big disappointment.
The talent is still there for the tall righty, but with an inflated ERA of 6.22 and 1.604 WHIP, he has struggled mightily all year. He also lasted just one and a third innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday, allowing six earned.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Despite Tillman’s poor performance on Sunday, the Orioles got the win, but the beleaguered pitcher spoke about his outing after the game, saying:
“I left too many pitches over the plate—even in the first inning, [I] got three quick outs but everything was center cut. I was never able to make the adjustment to make my pitch, instead leaving it right in the heart of the plate.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
While the rookie may have the pitching edge over the struggling right-hander in Baltimore, the Orioles’ offense has the clear advantage over Cleveland.
The Birds are fifth in all of baseball with 324 runs scored, 36 more than the Indians. The Orioles also have 27 more home runs and team average seven points higher, though their OBP is lower.
Individually, the Birds have a red-hot Manny Machado who is hitting .304 with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs on the season. In June the 22-year old is hitting .374 with a 1.034 OPS and six home runs, and since moving to the leadoff spot 49 games ago, he is hitting .318 with a .907 OPS and 10 of his 14 dingers.
Outside of Manny, the team has a collection of solid players, but no other real star outside of Adam Jones who has been sidelined the last week. The team leader is supposed to return for the series against Cleveland, bringing his .832 OPS with him.
If, however, Jones does not return, the O’s will have to continue leaning on a collection of other players such as Chris Parmelee (1.215 OPS since his return), Chris Davis (15 HRs, but a .229 average) and Jimmy Paredes (.819 OPS).
On the other side, the Indians offense is top-heavy as well with Jason Kipnis (.952 OPS), their best hitter, in the leadoff spot. Outside of him, the Indians have gotten some power from Brandon Moss (11 HRs) who equates to their version of Davis and Michael Brantley (.805 OPS), their Jones.
Provided Jones is healthy enough to return, the O’s offense has the advantage due to depth as they have better answers up and down the lineup.
PROP TALK
Speaking of Kipnis, the second baseman is the only active Indian player to have a home run against Tillman in his career. If you are looking for an individual to bet on, look no further than Kipnis who is 3 for 8 lifetime against the righty.
Another possible option is David Murphy. In his career, he is 5 for 15 against Tillman with a double.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Tillman’s struggles are concerning, but the team’s offense was able to overcome his worst outing of the year to pull out the win on Sunday and has the advantage over Cleveland offensively, defensively and in the bullpen.
The team has committed seven fewer errors, gotten to a number of additional balls and the O’s pen has an ERA of 2.74 compared to 3.19 for the Indians.
Baltimore 5, Cleveland 4
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2015, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
