June 16th MLB Predictions: Philadelphia Phillies & Toronto Blue Jays

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Mike Stewart

  Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays
When: 1:07 PM ET, Saturday, June 16, 2012
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), RSN (Toronto)

Opening Line: Toronto -110
Current Line: Toronto -110
MLB Betting Lines from: Bovada Sportsbook

Although the Toronto Blue Jays were victorious on the scoreboard, they lost yet another starting pitcher to injury on Friday - the third fallen hurler in the last four games. Left-hander Ricky Romero will do his best to remain healthy on Saturday as Toronto attempts to keep Cliff Lee winless when it hosts the Philadelphia Phillies. Toronto snapped a three-game losing skid and posted just its second win in eight outings with a 3-0 triumph over Philadelphia on Friday.

Drew Hutchison retired two batters in the first inning before exiting with a sore right elbow. The unfortunate news comes on the heels of starter Brandon Morrow leaving Monday's outing with a strained left oblique muscle and fellow right-hander Kyle Drabek nursing a possible tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. The Phillies continue to be bitten by the injury bug as catcher Carlos Ruiz suffered a left oblique strain in Friday's contest. Brian Schneider will fill in for Ruiz, who is expected to miss a few games.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Cliff Lee (0-3, 3.18 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Ricky Romero (7-1, 4.15)

Lee's strikeout numbers are up, but they pale in comparison to the zero in his win column. The 33-year-old fanned eight in six innings in his last trip to the mound, but a late three-run homer caused him to exit the contest without a decision in Sunday's 5-4 loss to Baltimore. Lee is just 2-5 with a 4.23 in his career versus Toronto.

While Lee has yet to post a victory, Romero has won three in a row. The 27-year-old did not record a decision in his last trip to the mound after yielding four runs on eight hits in four innings on Monday. Romero won his lone career decision versus Philadelphia while registering a 1.03 WHIP and limiting the Phillies to a .187 batting average.

1. Jim Thome saw both his hitting and RBI streaks come to an end on Friday. The veteran slugger went 0-for-3 in the series opener, but is still 11-for-27 over his last seven games.

2. Toronto's offense has had a difficult time getting untracked. The Blue Jays have scored more than three runs on just one occasion over their last eight games.

3. Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco is 1-for-11 since returning from a week-long absence with a left wrist injury. He is just 1-for-7 in his career versus Romero.

Recent Trends on Philadelphia: :

• Over is 22-5 in PHI last 27 road games.
• Over is 8-2 in PHI last 10 interleague road games.
• Over is 10-3-1 in PHI last 14 interleague games.

Recent Trends on Toronto: :

• Under is 6-2-1 in TOR last 9 on grass.
• Under is 6-2-1 in TOR last 9 overall.
• TOR are 2-6 in their last 8 interleague games.

Las Vegas Sports Betting MLB Prediction: Philadelphia -110

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Tags

brandon morrow - brian schneider - carlos ruiz - cliff lee - drew hutchison - jim thome - kyle drabek - philadelphia phillies - placido polanco - ricky romero