Jays, Tribe play doubleheader in Cleveland

Baseball Betting Lines

05/12/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting an unscheduled day off due to bad weather, the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays conclude a four-game series today with a doubleheader from Progressive Field.

The Indians have won the first two tests of this set and routed the struggling Blue Jays when these clubs last met on Saturday. Grady Sizemore went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBI to lead Cleveland to a 12-0 triumph, the Tribe's fourth win in their last five games.

Victor Martinez added two hits and three RBI to the winning effort, while Asdrubal Cabrera had two RBI and two runs scored to back a strong effort from Cleveland starter Aaron Laffey.

Laffey (1-2) held Toronto to six hits and walked just one over seven shutout innings to record his first victory of the season.

Dustin McGowan (2-3) was slapped for nine runs on nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work for the Blue Jays, who have dropped their last three games.

Toronto has been outscored by an 18-1 margin so far in this series, and the team's slumping offense figures to be challenged again during today's twinbill, with Cleveland sending out the formidable combo of Fausto Carmona and Cliff Lee.

Carmona will take the mound in the opener and brings a 3-1 record and a strong 2.95 earned run average into the matchup. The hard-throwing righty is coming off a no-decision against the Yankees on Tuesday, in which he surrendered three runs on six hits and walked five over five innings.

The 24-year-old has excelled at home so far this year, however. In four 2008 starts at Progressive Field, Carmona is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA.

Carmona has faced the Blue Jays just once previously and picked up a victory after yielding three runs over 5 1/3 innings last July at the Rogers Centre.

While Carmona has been solid for the Indians, Lee has been simply brilliant in the early going. The rejuvenated left-hander has won all six of his starts this year and allowed a mere four earned runs over 44 2/3 innings pitched. He's displayed impeccable control as well, having walked just two batters during those six outings.

Lee was dominant yet again in his last mound trip, as he fired seven shutout innings and racked up seven strikeouts to defeat the Yankees on Wednesday.

The Arkansas product has not fared well when facing the Jays over the course of his career, however. In five previous appearances against Toronto, Lee is 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA and served up six home runs over a 23 1/3-inning span.

The Blue Jays will have to face Cleveland's dynamic duo without the services of their top offensive player. On Saturday, the club placed Vernon Wells on the 15-day disabled list after the standout center fielder broke his wrist in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Indians.

Wells' absence puts greater pressure on the always-inconsistent A.J. Burnett, who gets the starting assignment for Toronto in game one. The oft-injured hurler has alternated wins and losses over his last four starts, with his most recent mound trip resulting in a home defeat to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Burnett struck out a season-high 10 Rays in that game, but also gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings. He was much better in his previous start, when the right-hander limited Boston to three hits over 7 2/3 scoreless frames to lead Toronto to a 3-0 win on May 1.

The 31-year-old is just 1-3 in four lifetime starts versus the Indians and compiled a horrid 8.46 ERA over those contests. In his lone showdown with Cleveland last season, Burnett was rocked for seven runs and eight hits in five innings to suffer a loss at Progressive Field on May 1, 2007.

Opposing Lee in the nightcap will be Shaun Marcum, who will attempt to extend a string of outstanding recent starts. The young right-hander comes in off back-to-back victories and has surrendered two runs or less in each of his last three trips to the hill.

After allowing just two hits over 6 2/3 shutout innings to defeat Chicago on May 2, Marcum finished one out shy of notching his first career complete game in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay. He gave up just four hits and walked one against the Rays, while recording nine strikeouts in his second straight start.

Marcum will be aiming for his first career win against Cleveland tonight, as the 26-year-old owning an 0-2 record and a 6.48 ERA over five previous games (3 starts) versus the Tribe.

Cleveland won four of six from the Jays last season and is 14-6 in the series since the beginning of the 2005 season. Toronto has also lost 14 of its last 15 in Cleveland.