Tuesday 4/18 Baseball

[Tinfish]

Guess i will start posting some picks.

NEW YORK YANKEES @ TORONTO BLUE JAYS >>>> OVER 9 -122
NY Yankees (6-6, 3-6 away) at Toronto (6-6, 3-3 home) 7:07 PM. EST.

After an abbreviated start his last time out, Randy Johnson gets the call in the opener of a two-game series Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 42-year-old Johnson (2-1, 2.25 ERA) continued to look strong in the early going with another good start in a 9-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. However, he left after throwing just 87 pitches and was reported to be struggling with fatigue.

While there was slight cause for concern among Yankees fans, Johnson showed no problem while he was in. He yielded a run and four hits in five innings, striking out five without a walk.

In 20 innings this season, Johnson has struck out 16 and walked none. He is 13-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 24 career starts against the Blue Jays, but gave up 10 runs in 14 2/3 innings and dropped both of his decisions to them last year.

Johnson's teammates rediscovered their offense Sunday against Minnesota, salvaging the finale of a three-game series with a 9-3 triumph. Jason Giambi slugged a pair of home runs to pace New York.

Saddled with the task of slowing down the Yankees' attack will be Gustavo Chacin (2-0, 4.63), who is 6-1 in April as a major leaguer. However, Chacin is 1-4 with a 4.99 ERA in five starts against New York.

Toronto carried a three-game winning streak into the weekend before dropping a pair at Chicago, capped by Sunday's rain-shortened 6-4 setback.


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ML -122 @ ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
San Francisco (8-4, 4-2 away) at Arizona (5-8, 2-5 home) 9:40 PM EST

The San Francisco Giants have proven they can win even when they do not receive good pitching on the road.

On the heels of a thrilling triumph in the series opener, the Giants will seek a fifth win in seven road games this season when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second of four games at Chase Field.

Despite squandering an early seven-run lead Monday, the Giants rallied for a 10-9 victory with three runs in the final two innings. Mark Sweeney tied the score with a two-run homer in the eighth, and Steve Finley drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

The late-inning heroics bailed out the Giants' staff, which surrendered nine earned runs between the fourth and sixth innings. In its previous four road games, San Francisco had allowed just five earned runs in 35 frames.

Matt Morris (2-0, 2.57 ERA) will look to get San Francisco's road pitching back on track when he makes his third start of the season. Morris recorded the Giants' first win of the season at San Diego on April 5, allowing a run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 3-1 triumph.

In six lifetime games - four starts - against Arizona, Morris has gone 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA. He won his only start against the Diamondbacks last year, giving up one run and six hits in seven innings of a 10-3 win on July 4.

Former Giant Russ Ortiz (0-2, 6.10) will seek some rare success here when he takes the mound Tuesday. Ortiz is 5-10 with a 6.17 ERA and 11 more walks than strikeouts in 20 lifetime starts at Chase field.

Since beginning his career at 103-60 with San Francisco and Atlanta, Ortiz has gone 5-13 as a member of the Diamondbacks.