Blue Jays seek fourth straight victory in opener with Indians

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07/30/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays take aim at their fourth straight win this evening when they open a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre.

Toronto started its six-game homestand in impressive fashion, as it completed a sweep of the woeful Baltimore Orioles, culminating with a 5-0 win on Wednesday.

Brad Mills threw seven shutout innings for his first career win and gave up just two hits and three walks with four strikeouts, as Toronto moved to 12-0 against Baltimore on the season.

"When you're in a tight game like that it's easy to focus and concentrate on the pitches I'm trying to make," said Mills. "It was nice to come out here and get the win."

Lyle Overbay smacked a three-run home run while Adam Lind went 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have homered in their last 10 games and have won five of their last six.

Heading to the hill for the Jays tonight will be righty Shaun Marcum, who has won his last two starts. Marcum beat the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, holding them to two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings to run his record to 9-4 to go along with a 3.36 earned run average.

Marcum's last loss came to the Indians back on July 1 - a setback that afterwards landed him on the disabled list with elbow discomfort - and is 0-3 lifetime against them with a 5.34 ERA in seven games, five of which have been starts.

Cleveland will counter with righty Justin Masterson, who beat Marcum and the Jays in that July 1 contest, but is 0-2 in four starts since. Masterson fell to Tampa Bay on Sunday, as he allowed four runs (three earned) and five hits in 6 2/3 innings, dropping him to 3-9 on the year.

This will be Masterson's second start against the Blue Jays. He is 2-0 in eight appearances against them with a 2.04 ERA.

Cleveland enters this series on the heels of losing three of four to the New York Yankees, including an 11-4 loss on Thursday at Progressive Field. Austin Kearns and Matt LaPorta each drove in a run for the Indians, who have lost five of six.

Frank Herrmann (0-1) was charged in defeat with a run in 1 1/3 relief innings. Starter Mitch Talbot departed after two-plus innings due to a mid-back strain after allowing a run while walking four.

Cleveland has won four of its seven meetings with the Jays this season.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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