MLB Betting: Rays battle feisty Orioles

’Big Game’ James Shields gets the call Saturday for the Rays at the O’s.

The Tampa Bay Rays presently lead the American League’s wild-card race while still hunting for baseball’s best record.  Saturday night’s AL slate has Joe Maddon’s crew in the middle matchup of a three-game road set with the Baltimore Orioles, who are out of postseason contention.

Both squads are scheduled to send right-handed starters to the mound, with Tampa Bay’s James Shields (13-11, 4.73 ERA) opposing Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie (8-13, 3.94 ERA).

The two hurlers last battled in an Aug. 13 blitz, won by the Orioles as 180 road dogs, 5-0.  Shields was shelled for four runs in his five-inning stint (100 pitches), while Guthrie gave up two hits in six frames (102 pitches).

Baltimore’s Adam Jones, who could miss Saturday’s game due to a sore shoulder, poked a two-run triple in the first inning.  The 2009 All-Star was brought home by left fielder Felix Pie, who cracked a two-out double.

Josh Bell and Luke Scott drove in the final two runs for Buck Showalter’s squad.  Bell slapped a fourth-inning single for his only hit, while Scott crushed a 414-foot homer to cap off a 3-for-3 night.

The shutout’s five runs ducked below the ‘total’ of 8 ½, bringing the ‘under’ to 5-0 in Guthrie’s last five starts against Tampa Bay.

Guthrie has logged a 1-2 record since defeating the Rays, with the win coming in his most recent start.  The Oregon native ended his two-loss slide in Sunday’s 1-0 win for Baltimore as a 185 road dog against the Los Angeles Angels.

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Guthrie gave up four hits in 8 1/3 innings (107 pitches).  The Stanford alum was relieved by Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara, who logged a hold and save, respectively.

The tight affair plunged ‘under’ the 7 ½-run ‘total,’ with its sole run coming from a sacrifice fly by Orioles catcher Matt Wieters.

Baltimore is 6-7 in Guthrie’s 13 home starts, with the ‘under’ going 8-5.  Guthrie has allowed a .282 OBP and 1.04 WHIP in that span, which are sizeably less than his overall numbers (.305 OBP, 1.20 WHIP).

Shields has notched three straight wins since his setback against the Orioles, averaging eight strikeouts per start.  The California native last pitched in Sunday night’s 5-3 win for Tampa Bay as a 139 home MLB betting favorite against the Boston Red Sox.

Shields allowed all three Boston runs on seven hits, lasting 6 2/3 innings (107 pitches).  “Big Game James” received run support with long balls from Rays sluggers Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña, who united to hit 3-for-7.

The duel’s eight combined runs dipped south of the 8 ½-run ‘total’ by a ‘hook.’  Tampa Bay relievers Randy Choate, Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano kept ‘under’ backers happy, allowing no hits in the final 2 1/3 innings.

The Rays are 7-6 in Shields’ 13 road starts, with the ‘over’ also 7-6.  Shields has seen some slugfests in that span, allowing a .340 OBP and 1.48 WHIP.

Tampa Bay is 5-0 in Shields’ last five starts at Baltimore, with the baseball odds ‘under’ going 4-1.

Saturday’s first pitch is slated for 4:05 p.m. (PT).  The weather forecast in Baltimore presently calls for a 76-degree evening, with 19 mph winds blowing to right field.