Ex-NFL tight end Russ Francis was killed alongside another aviation enthusiast when their plane crashed after taking off from an upstate New York airport, authorities reported on Monday. Francis is a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the New England Patriots who won a Super Bowl with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers.
Francis and Richard McSpadden had just left the Lake Placid Airport shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday in a single-engine Cessna 177 when the plane ran into some trouble. The New York State Police said the aircraft crashed into an embankment at the corner of the airport.
Russ was president of Lake Placid Airways, which runs charter and scenic flights. He is a longtime flying enthusiast, has been a pilot for almost 50 years and ran a charter service in Hawaii, according to the airline’s website. McSpadden was a senior vice president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and was regarded as an aviation safety expert. The organization reported that his career included a stint as commander of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
The Tight End was a Patriots first-round draft pick in 1975 and played in New England until 1980, joining the franchise’s all-decade team for the 1970s and the 35th-anniversary team. He was named to the Pro Bowl three straight seasons from 1977-79.
“Russ was a fan favourite throughout his playing career,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “He was a dynamic player on the field who had an even bigger personality off it. He knew no boundaries, pushed the limits and lived his life to the fullest.”
Russ Francis was signed to the San Francisco 49ers in 1982 and was in the 1984 team that defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl. He came back to New England in 1987 and retired the following year. In the course of his career, he had 393 receptions for 5.262 yards and 40 touchdowns.
The crash is still being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Minnesota Twins VS Toronto Blue Jays will play today at Target Field. The Blue Jays (89-73 SU and 74-87 RL) will start right-hander José Berríos; he is 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 32 regular season outings. While the Twins (87-75 SU and 80-81 RL) will counter with Sonny Gray; 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 32 starts this year.
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Predictions And Betting Preview For Minnesota Twins VS Toronto Blue Jays MLB Regular Season
This season, the Minnesota Twins averaged 4.80 runs (10th) and hit .243 with a .753 OPS. They hit 233 long balls (4th) and stole 86 bases (24th). The Twins pitching staff combined for a 3.87 ERA (5th) and 1.20 WHIP (4th), and led the league with 76 quality starts.
Sonny Gray will start for the home team today. The last time he made a regular season appearance, he held the Oakland Athletics to one run and three hits in four innings. Gray dominated in August and September, posting a 2.04 ERA and 2.00 ERA in the final two months of the season. In his last start against Toronto, he conceded one run with five strikeouts in five frames. Gray is 0-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in four postseason appearances.
Betting On The Toronto Blue Jays
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.217
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.15
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5
The Toronto Blue Jays scored 4.60 runs per match (15th) and hit .256 with a .746 OPS (11th) in the regular season. Toronto smashed 188 homers (16th) and stole 99 bases (22nd). The team’s pitching staff posted a 3.79 ERA (4th) and 1.25 WHIP (10th) with 70 quality starts (6th).
José Berríos will take the mound for the Blue Jays tonight in Minneapolis. Berríos lost his most recent start against the New York Yankees, even after striking out ten batters (four runs permitted in six innings). He is 5-6 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 17 road appearances this season. On May 28th, Berríos played against Minnesota, holding them scoreless in 5.2 innings.
MatchPlug Prediction For Minnesota Twins VS Toronto Blue Jays
Experts back the Minnesota Twins to win and cover the 1.5-run line in game two. Having lost to the Blue Jays in game 1, they are confident that Minnesota will answer with an easy win tonight. Gray (2.67 in 17 starts at Target Field) is predicted to turn in a solid start at home.
Texas is on the road for the second match of the Tampa Bay Rays VS Texas Rangers series this night in the AL Wild Card Round. The Rangers lost 1-0 to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, costing them the AL West title, while The Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 12-8 on the road to close the regular season.
The Tampa Bay Rays emerged victorious in their last five games in the regular season as they defeated the Blue Jays in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay concluded the regular season 99-63 and second in the AL East, two matches behind the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot.
Zach Eflin will mount the mound for Tampa Bay in what is his first postseason start after 31 regular season outings. Eflin ended the regular season 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA, a 1.024 WHIP, 24 walks and 186 strikeouts over 177.2 innings of work this season. He secured a win in his last start against the Boston Red Sox, which was last Tuesday.
Betting On The Texas Rangers
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.433
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.25
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8
The Texas Rangers lost three of four to the Seattle Mariners on the road to conclude the regular season and they missed the playoff seeding as a result. They closed the regular season 90-72 on the year, ending on a tie with the Houston Astros ontop of the AL West. Texas lost the tiebreaker to Houston as they were defeated 9-4 in the season series.
Nathan Eovaldi will pitch for the Rangers this Wednesday, making his first start of the postseason after 25 regular season appearances. Eovaldi ended the season 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA, a 1.139 WHIP, 47 walks and 132 strikeouts over 144 innings of work. He suffered a loss in his last start against Seattle on the road Friday night.
MatchPlug Prediction For Tampa Bay Rays VS Texas Rangers
Going against a Tampa Bay Rays lineup that delivered 233 homers this season is going to prove a daunting task for the Texas Rangers. The Rays may get the advantage for this match, as they secure the victory here.
Buffalo Bills VS Jacksonville Jaguars will see the Jaguars prepare for another match in London as they face the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Will Jacksonville go 2-0 this season across the pond? Or will the Bills maintain their unbeaten streak?
Keep reading to get the predictions, picks, odds, and NFL Betting tips for this Bills VS Jaguars matchup, as delivered by MatchPlug. We are a sure Prediction Site to find reliable previews and news on the NFL.
Predictions And Betting Preview For Buffalo Bills VS Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Regular Season
The Buffalo Bills losing to the New York Jets in Week 1, feels like it happened a lifetime ago. Since then, the Bills have won three successive games, plus last Sunday’s 48-20 defeat of the Miami Dolphins at home.
Buffalo is receiving almost everything it wants in an offense lately. In four weeks, the team is averaging 34.8 points and 391.0 total points per game – second and sixth in the NFL, respectively. Furthermore, the Bills’ defense has picked up too, allowing only 33 points total in their last three outings.
Betting On The Jacksonville Jaguars
1XBet Spread: +5.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 48.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.974
BetMGM Spread: +5.5
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 49
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.00
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended a two-game losing skid last Sunday when they won over the Atlanta Falcons in London, 23-7. Their defense was sharp against the Falcons, with the team intercepting Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder twice and forcing his hand to commit three turnovers total.
Jacksonville will need the same fierce defense as they enter Week 5 against the top-scoring Bills. On the season, the Jaguars are ninth in the NFL with a 2.84 per cent defensive interception rate. Additionally, they are fourth in the NFL with 2.3 takeaways per match.
MatchPlug Prediction For Buffalo Bills VS Jacksonville Jaguars
A week after the Miami Dolphins secured 70 points in a match, they only managed 20 in a blowout defeat to the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo’s defense will again prove how effective they are in Week 5, as they beat Jacksonville in London.
In Washington Commanders VS Chicago Bears, the Bears will resume their quest for their first victory of the season. Will they get it in Week 5? Or will they bow to the Commanders?
Keep reading to get the NFL predictions for Commanders VS Bears, plus the picks, odds, and analysis for which team will win this matchup. Don’t forget to check MatchPlug for more NFL previews. We are the Best Prediction site for everything American Football.
Predictions And Betting Preview For Washington Commanders VS Chicago Bears NFL Regular Season
After beginning the year with consecutive wins, the Washington Commanders have lost two times in a row including Week 4’s 34-31 overtime defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles. Sam Howell passed for 290 yards and a touchdown on 29/41 completions in an impressive comeback performance after a terrible showing in Week 3.
The Commanders took the battle to the current NFC champions and were a Riverboat Ron call away from winning the game in regulation. But, it was still good to see Washington pull off a better offensive performance than what they showed in Week 3 versus the Buffalo Bills. The Bears aren’t good at defense too, as they are the second-worst in the league, allowing 34.3 points per game.
Betting On The Chicago Bears
1XBet Spread: +6.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 44.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.28
BetMGM Spread: +6.5
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 44.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.20
The Chicago Bears are yet to secure a victory this season. They had hopes of a win after establishing a massive lead in the first half of last Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos at home, but they lost that match, 31-28. It was a tough loss for Chicago, especially with Justin Fields looking good for the first time in a long while.
Field concluded the game with 335 passing yards and four touchdowns, with only one interception on 28/35 completions. Hopefully, the Bears can witness a turnaround offensively after dealing with such a devastating loss. They will keep deploying on offense in Week 5 against Washington, who are permitting 30 points per game.
MatchPlug Prediction For Washington Commanders VS Chicago Bears
The Washington Commanders will pose a threat to the Chicago Bears when they go up .500 again with a home win on Friday.
Final Prediction: Washington Commanders Moneyline.
Miami Marlins VS Milwaukee Brewers conclude their four-game series in Milwaukee this afternoon. The series has serious implications for the playoff, as Miami wants to stay in the race for a wildcard spot in the National League. Milwaukee is hoping to wrap up the NL Central Division crown.
The pitching game today will feature Marlins’ right Eury Perez (5-4, 2.90) facing Brewers’ righty Adrian Houser (5-4, 4.58). First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 PM EST.
Milwaukee Brewers are close to clinching the NL Central Divison crown with a four-game lead over the Cubs with 19 games left entering Wednesday night’s action. The Brewers have gotten remarkable pitching in the last month and their lineup has given enough offense to help them win five of out of their last seven games.
In Wednesday’s game against Miami, Milwaukee’s bats lost power in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins. With the defeat, the Brewers remain four games ahead of Chicago for the division lead and five games ahead of them in the loss column.
Adrian Houser will close out the series with Miami. He is 5-4 on the season in 19 appearances, including 17 starts. Houser has allowed 106 hits in 90.1 innings pitched and his ERA is 4.58. His K/9 rate is 7.7 while his WHIP is 1.48. Houser is 2-1 at home this season with an ERA of 4.79 in nine games plus eight starts. In his last five appearances, all starts, he has gone 2-0 with an ERA of 5.01 which permitted 24 hits in 23.1 innings pitched and striking out 25 batters.
Betting On The Miami Marlins
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.975
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
BetMGM Spread: -1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.87
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8
The Miami Marlins are still on the hunt for one of the last two wildcard spots in the National League with 16 games to go in the season. They have a brutal schedule over the last two weeks with games against the NL west-leading Dodgers, the NL wildcard-leading Phillies, and now this four-game series with the NL central-leading Brewers.
Entering into Wednesday night’s game with Milwaukee, Miami is 4-4 in this stretch. That night, starter Braxton Garett secured his ninth victory while throwing six shutout innings as part of the Marlins 2-0 victory. The Marlins are still a 1/1 game out of the final wildcard spot in the National League.
Eury Perez will pitch for them in today’s series finale. Perez is 5-4 on the season in 17 starts including six quality starts. He has permitted 64 hits in 83.2 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.90. Perez’s K/9 rate is 10.6 and his WHIP is 1.10. For away matches, he is 2-3 in nine starts with an ERA of 4.17. He has conceded 36 hits in 41 innings and has 44 strikeouts in that span. Over his last 5 games, Perez is 0-0 with a 3.16 ERA. He has sent out batters in 25.2 innings pitched.
MatchPlug Prediction For Milwaukee Brewers VS Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are favoured in this pitching game of two 5-4 pitchers. Perez has a powerful strong hit-to-innings pitched ratio this season while House has stormed the bases with runners in his 19 starts this season. Miami has struggled with scoring this year but will get the best chance this afternoon against Houser.
Marlins’ starter Perez isn’t just good at keeping runners off base but he has an outstanding K/9 of over 10 heading into this game. The Brewers too are hitting only .235 during the day this season.
Boston Red Sox VS New York Yankees battle it out in another make-up match for their ongoing series. They were supposed to play on Monday Night and instead ended up playing a doubleheader on Thursday.
New York swept both matches to tie Boston at 73-72, but Wednesday’s game was rained out. The Yankees won the first game 3-2 and the second game 4-1.
So, both sides will play a doubleheader today and this is the coverage for the first game happening at Fenway Park. The proposed starters for Game 1 are Michael King (4-5. 2.92 ERA) for New York and Tanner Houck (4-9, 5.28 ERA) for Boston.
The Boston Red Sox should sweep this series or at least win three games to have a shot. They and New York are trailing 7.5 games behind Seattle for the last playoff spot. Tuesday was bad, particularly for the lineup, where the Red Sox went 0-for-19 with players in scoring position and had only 13 hits and three runs in two games.
At this rate, Boston may have to allow younger players to get in on the action and they did so in Game 2 when rookie OF/SS Ceddanne Rafaela hit his first career homer.
In Game 1, Boston will send right-hander Tanner Houck to the mound. Houck has made only four starts since being absent for two months due to a facial fracture from a line drive against the Yankees. In his last start against the Orioles, he allowed five runs in 5.1 innings on Friday. Houck has started six games and played in 11 against the Yankees in his career, going 2.39 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.
Betting On The New York Yankees
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.01
1XBet Over/Under: Under 9.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.00
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 9.
The numbers game indicates that the New York Yankees are done. They’ve won three consecutive games, but they are 7.5 games behind the final wild-card spot, which is the Mariners at 81-65 with 17 matches to go. To the Yankees, they could have just given up. But by sweeping Tuesday’s doubleheader, that was the first time at Fenway Park in 17 years.
New York is short of a dominant starter besides Gerrit Cole, so they rely on a bullpen that has a 3.10 ERA. Michael King is one of those pitchers, who just wants to go five innings and allow the bullpen do the rest. He’s permitted two runs in his last two starts and struck out 13 in 10 innings. King allowed only two runs over his last four starts and before then, was coming out of the bullpen.
MatchPlug Prediction For Boston Red Sox VS New York Yankees
Despite the Red Sox owning the series this year, the Yankees are playing way better baseball, winning 11 of their last 15 games. They accomplished this feat by pitching excellently and having a supportive bullpen. King did a nice job when asked to start. Overall, he is 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA on the road and is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his last 3 games. Meanwhile, Houck is 3-5 with a 5.09 ERA during the day and is 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA at home.
Arizona Diamondbacks VS New York Mets will conclude their four-game series on Thursday at Citi Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.
The Diamondbacks (76-70 SU and 77-69 RL) will start right-hander Merrill Kelly. Kelly is 11-6 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 26 outings (154.0 IP) this year.
New York (66-78 SU and 62-82 RL) will counter with righty Kodai Senga. Senga conan’s wheel is 10-7 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 26 starts (149.1 IP).
The Mets are the moneyline favourites and the game total is eight runs.
The New York Mets won’t be in the postseason in 2023 but are already making big plans with the newly hired president of baseball operations David Stearns. A native of New York and a Mets fan, Stearns helped the Brewers secure multiple division titles. Will he deliver more hardware to Queens?
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New York averages 4.36 runs (20th) and hit .238 (26thO with a .725 OPS (18th). The team has hit 192 long balls (12th) and stole 106 bases (15th) in 2023. The NY pitching staff compiled a 4.43 ERA (19th) and a 1.38 WHIP (21st) with 50 quality starts (14th).
Senga will start for the Mets today in Queens. In his last appearance, he held Minnesota to two runs in six innings, but he played better in past start, fanning 12 Mariners in seven frames. He hasn’t conceded over three runs since late June and is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 14 home starts this season.
Betting On The Arizona Diamondbacks
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.05
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.00
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7
The Arizona Diamondbacks won their last two series, taking five of seven games from Colorado and Chicago. Will he be able to hold off Cincinnati and San Francisco in the NL Wild Card chase?
Arizona scored 4.64 per game (13th) and hit .252 (14th) with a .739 OPS (16th). They’ve hit 157 long balls (20th) and stole 148 bases (3rd) this season. The Diamondback’s pitching staff combine for a 4.57 ERA (21st) and a 1.33 WHIP (19th) with 53 quality starts (12th).
Kelly will take the mound for the visitors in tonight’s series finale. He is 7-3 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 13 road starts this season. In his two outings this September, he has permitted two total runs in 12.2 combined innings vs. the Rockies and Cubs. Besides a poor outing against the Dodgers on August 30th (seven runs and 12 hits), he’s been reliable, holding nine of his last ten opponents to three or fewer runs.
MatchPlug Prediction For New York Mets VS Arizona Diamondbacks
Merrill Kelly has not pitched on the road the same way he did at home this season. Opponents hit .262 against him in road starts, compared to .186 at home, with 21 more hits in six fewer innings pitched. He also struck out fewer batters away from the friendly confines of Chase Field.
In Kelly’s last start on the road, he only conceded one run but walked five batters and fanned only five hitters. At home against the Rockies two starts ago, he had 12 strikeouts in seven innings. At Dodger Stadium on August 29, he put 15 runners on base and conceded seven innings. At Dodger Stadium on August 29, he put 15 runners on base and conceded seven runs. He also held Cincinnati scoreless with one hit and 12 Ks in seven innings at home. Lesser non-contact outs and more runners on base often lead to more runs.
Senga, on the other hand, has dominated Citi Field, holding the opposition to a .186 batting average with 106 strikeouts in 82 innings. He has a 2.52 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 14 home starts, with 22 combined Ks in his last two outings in Queens, the Diamondbacks, who do not hit well on the road (.245 BA and .318 OBP), will fall to him next.
In Seattle Mariners VS Los Angeles Angels, both sides are on opposite lines of the standings to conclude the season. Angels have a 68-77 record and are in fourth position in the American League Central Division. The Mariners have a 79-65 record but have just three wins in their last 10 matches they are out of the wild card position in the American League.
For the upcoming matchup, Los Angeles will pick Chase Silseth as their starting pitcher, while Seattle will choose Luis Castillo who has permitted just five runs in his last three starts.
Seattle Mariners are having a fantastic season but intend to leave their slump to reach the postseason for the second time in a row. Luis Castillo will start the upcoming game and he has been one of the best pitchers in MLB, permitting only 68 runs in 175.1 innings pitched while throwing 191 strikeouts.
Additionally, with a .229 expected opponent Batting Average, a 6.2 Walk Rate, and a 3.373 expected ERA, opponents make minimal contact and struggle to drive in runs against Luis this season.
While Castillo has been great, the lineup also stepped up, delivering 4.77 runs per game. Julio Rodriguez is slashing .287/.342/.504 with 30 home runs and 275 total bases while J.P. Crawford is slashing .263/.380//423 with 15 home runs and 196 total bases. Other members of the lineup doing well are Cal Raleigh who is slashing .237/.315/.479 with 28 home runs and 212 total bases, Teoscar Hernandez and Eugenio Suarez added 44 homers and 460 total bases to round out the lineup, making Seattle tough to stop at the plate.
Betting On The Los Angeles Angels
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.112
1XBet Over/Under: Over 6.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.15
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5
The Los Angeles Angels are having a tough season and wish to finish well enough to surpass the .500 mark by the end of the year. Chase Silseth has displayed flashes with a 49.2 Ground Ball Percentage but has struggled on the mound, permitting 25 runs in 48.1 innings pitched.
Additionally, with a 10.2 Barrel Percentage, an 11.2 Walk Rate, and a 4.21 expected ERA, opponents make good contact off the bat and drive in runs easily against Silseth this year.
While Silseth struggles, the lineup has been a ray of hope for the team, scoring 4.68 runs per match. Shohei Ohtani is slashing .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs and 325 total bases while Mickey Moniak is slashing .280/.307/.490 with 13 homers and 149 total bases. But the back half of the lineup did well too. Brandon Drury slashes .259/.300/.480 with 21 home runs and 202 total bases while Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss have included 19 homers and 154 total bases to add depth to the lineup.
MatchPlug Prediction For Seattle Mariners VS Los Angeles Angels
The Angels wish to end the season on a positive note, but the Mariners want to make a postseason push and commandeer the game right from the first inning. The Mariners should drive in runs with Julio Rodriguez, J.P Crawford, and the other members of the lineup making contact and powering the ball to easily circle the bases.
Seattle should limit Los Angeles’ lineup with Luis Castillo pitching multiple scoreless innings to allow the bullpen to close the game with an easy lead. They should win the game and cover the spread in a dominant win at home.
Baltimore Orioles VS St. Louis Cardinals will take the pitch tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. First pitch for Orioles VS Cardinals is scheduled 6:35 p.m. ET.
The Cardinals (63-81 SU and 67-77 RL) are starting left-hander Drew Rom. Rom is 0-2 with a 7.79 ERA and 2.02 WHIP in four starts this season. The Orioles (91-52 SU and 89-54 RL) will counter with right-hander Kyle Gibson. Gibson is 14-8 with a 5.12 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his 29 outings.
The Baltimore Orioles have won seven consecutive series since mid-August. They have some work to do if they are to maintain their lead in the AL East, especially with the Tampa Bay Rays on their heels.
Baltimore scored 5.17 runs per game (6th) and hit .259 (6th) with a .756 OPS (8th). They launched 170 long balls (15th) and stole 99 bases (17th) this season. The team’s pitchers have a combined 4.05 ERA (14th) and 1.27 WHIP (12th) with 61 quality starts (9th).
Gibson will start for the Orioles tonight. He is 6-4 with a 5.69 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 12 home starts this season. In his last outing, he held the Angels to three runs and six hits in six innings. He was 3-2 with a 7.89 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in five starts last month.
Betting On The St. Louis Cardinals
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.65
1XBet Over/Under: Under 9.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.45.
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 10.
The St. Louis Cardinals are fresh off a successive series of wins over the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. They are not making a playoff push, but can still be competitive a few nights a week.
They averaged 4.58 runs (17th) and hit .253 (13th) with a .753 OPS (9th). They’ve launched 196 home runs (9th) and stolen 91 bases (21st) in 2023. The pitching staff combined for a 4.83 ERA (25th) and 1.46 WHIP (28th) with 44 quality starts (22nd).
Rom should take the hill for the Cardinals tonight. In his last start, he conceded four runs and seven hits, including two home runs, in 3.2 innings vs. the Reds. Rom sports an 11:10 K:BB ratio in four outings against Philadelphia, Pittsburgh (two times), and Cincy.
MatchPlug Prediction For Baltimore Orioles VS St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore has the more seasoned pitcher taking the mound, while its offense can break out offensively every match, they do not have enough edge in both departments to earn a bet on a cover.
Gibson has an ERA north of five at home, at home, and St. Louis slashes an impressive .255 BA/.330 OBP/.430 SLG/.759 OPS vs. right-handed pitchers this season. He may have won three of his last starts, but he has pitched some duds lately, plus a seven-run shelling vs. the Chicago White Sox on August 30th.
Rom doesn’t have enough experience for bettors to wager on the first-position Orioles, who slash .256 BA/.338/.440 SLG/.778 OPS vs. lefty pitcher and are consistent with hitting well at home. He has held two of his four opponents to only five combined runs, but he is prone to playing the long ball (four HRs) and conceding 12 runs in his other two outings.
The Cardinals may perform well enough to keep the match close, but for a winner, the Baltimore Orioles are a better choice.
