Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Indians Preview
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
When: Friday, September 8, 2017, 7:10 PM ET
Line: Baltimore Orioles (+140) at Cleveland Indians (-155); total: 9.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MASN, SportsTime Ohio
Betting on the Baltimore Orioles (71-69)
Off another inconsistent outing are the Batimore Orioles, who lost at home on Thursday to the New York Yankees, 9-1.
The Orioles finished August with a seven-game win streak, but have failed to gain any sort momentum in September. They’ve alternated wins and losses through seven games this month and remain outside of the playoff bubble looking in.
Still, the O’s are two games over .500 and are just a game and a half behind the final wild card spot in the AL. They’re also a top-10 ball club when it comes to offense and might even get a key piece back in shortstop J.J. Hardy this Friday. Hardy’s been sidelined for nearly three months after suffering a broken wrist.
Then again, starter Wade Miley (8-1, 4.91 ETA) may be in for a long night in Cleveland, as the veteran lefty is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA in four-career games versus the Indians. Thankfully, Wiley looked sharp in his last start, allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings against the Blue Jays last Saturday.
Betting on the Cleveland Indians (83-56)
With the 11-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, the Cleveland Indians have now set a new franchise record of 15 consecutive victories.
There’s no stopping the defending American League champs right now, as both their offensive and pitching units are playing out of their minds. The Tribe averaged 7.2 runs scored during their streak and haven’t surrendered more than four runs in a contest – along with three shutout performances – since August 25’s win over Boston that kicked off their current 15-game run.
The spotlight remains on star designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who’s indeed proving his worth in his first season in Cleveland. The Dominican slugger hit a three-run homer in Thursday’s win, giving him 13 hits, 10 runs and nine RBIs amidst an eight-game hitting streak.
Looking to keep the Indians’ pitching rotation on fire as well is 26-year-old righty Mike Clevinger (8-5, 3.50 ERA), who has also shown no signs of regression yet. Clevinger has pitched six innings of no-run ball in each of his last two starts.
Cleveland should be able to contain Baltimore’s firepower this Friday. Do note that they’ve even taken three of four games over the O’s at Camden Yards this past June, scoring no less than five runs in each of those contests to show that they can fight fire with fire on offense even before they got their lengthy unbeaten streak started.
Writer’s Prediction
The Indians (-155) further extend their franchise record to 16-straight wins, 7-3.
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