jeff benton wednesday
1-1 yesterday plus 15 dimes plus $150. overall, 102-127-4 minus 474
Jeff Benton Wednesday's Play ...
30 DIME selaction on the <b>BOSTON RED SOX -1½ RUNS</b> (run-line play) over the Orioles as this A.L. East series continuees at Camden Yards. As I go live with today’s play, the Red Sox are a -130 to -135 favorite on the run line. Note that starting pitchers are automatically listed with run-line plays, merning Boston’s Jon Lester and Baltimore’s Jacob Arrieta must start or this play is VOID!
<b>Red Sox (-1½ runs)</b>
12-0. That’s Jon Lester’s career record against the Baltimore Orioles. And it’s not a fluky 12-0, either, as he’s got an incredible 2.00 ERA in those 15 starts. In three games this year against the O’s, Lester has surrendered one run in 19 innings of work, with Baltimore’s hitters batting a paltry .197.
The Red Sox won those three games this season by scores of 4-3, 8-2 and 9-3, part of their 14-1 record when Lester faces the Orioles. And get this: Of those 14 wins, 11 have covered the run line! And another thing: The hard-thrawing southpaw is 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA in seven career starts at Camden Yards, with Boston going 6-1.
The last time Lester took the mound was Friday in Tampa Bay and he held the Rays to just two hits and five walks in seven innings, giving up just one unearned run while whiffing 10 in a 3-1 road victory. In fact, in Lester’s last three road starts, he’s faced the three best teams in the American League – Yankees, Rangers, Rays – and allowed just that one unearned run in Tampa over a span of 21 1/3 innings!
Chew on that for a minute: Facing three increedible offensive clubs, all on the road, Lester gave up just one unearned run, 11 hits and 11 walks while fanning 21 in 21 1/3 innings. Absolutely phenomenal. Now he’s facing the franchise he has absolutely OWNED in his career – a franchise that’s batting just .223 in its last 10 games, including .229 against lefties?
Look, I know the Orioles are playing better baseball under Buck Showalter – they’ve won 17 of 27 games, in fact. And I know they’ve fared well against Boston this season (7-6 in 13 meetings). But they’re not winning tonight, not against Lester and not when Baltimore is harding the ball to rookie Jacob Arrieta, who is 4-6 with a 5.10 ERA on the season and whose team has scored exactly two runs in his last three starts, losing all three by a combined score of 13-2.
Red Sox roll BIG in this one!