Free Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-134) – Fri July 24th 2009 7:05p
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We’re backing the best pitcher in baseball today as Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series against the D-Rays
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Talks of trading Halladay have started to die down and it appears that Toronto will hang on to their veteran righthander. That’s great news for Jays fans but bad news for any team in the American League who has to face him. Halladay is 11-3 with a 2.73 ERA but his only two losses in his last 14 outings have come against the Devil Rays. In both games Halladay, who allowed just five earned runs in 13-innings, was victimized by poor run support. Halladay is 11-9 with a 3.73 ERA in his career against TB.

Matt Garza takes a 6-7 record and a 3.80 ERA into his showdown against Doc Halladay. Garza’s last win came back on June 30th against Toronto a game in which he allowed one run in seven innings of work in a 4-1 Rays victory. Garza is a guy with “ace” stuff and he’ll definitely need to bring his A game against the good doctor.

This game features the 4th and 5th best hitting clubs in the American League. Tampa Bay is hitting .268 and averaging 5.2 runs per outing while Toronto also has a team batting average of .268 and averages 4.8 runs per game. The Blue Jays have been solid at home posting a 29-21 record while the Devil Rays have struggled on the road where they’ve gone 22-29. If the game turns into a battle of the bullpens, then the Rays will have definite advantage. Their bully is ranked second in the AL behind Boston and fourth in the majors.

Tampa Bay has won five of six against the Blue Jays this year, including two of three at Toronto in June.

It would be hard to find two more evenly matched teams. However getting Halladay at this price, at home, is too attractive to pass up. Look for Halladay and Blue Jays to come up big tonight in Toronto.

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