Orioles aim for rare sweep of Yanks in the Bronx

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09/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have been the worst team in the American League all season. Today, though, the Orioles will have a chance to do something against the best team in baseball that they haven't done in more than 24 years, as they try and complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The Orioles, who have won in just four of their previous 21 visits to the Bronx, last swept the Yankees in a three-game series there back in June of 1986. Baltimore has taken the first two games of this set, including a rare win over CC Sabathia on Tuesday. Nolan Reimold hit a two-run home run and Adam Jones had a key two-run single to back the solid pitching of Jake Arrieta in the Orioles' 6-2 triumph.

Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton each had a pair of hits, scored once and drove in a run for the Birds, who have won four straight over Tampa Bay and New York, the top two teams in the AL East.

Baltimore is 21-13 since Buck Showalter took over the club in August and hasn't won five in a row since June 17-21, 2009, all against interleague opponents.

Arrieta (5-6) earned the win after holding the hosts to two runs on eight hits while walking only one and striking out three for Baltimore.

"The opportunities don't come around that often. Everybody is watching and as an athlete you want to be on center stage and perform well while you're there," Arrieta said when asked about the team's recent success against potentially playoff bound teams."

Sabathia (19-6), meanwhile, was charged with six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to suffer his first loss at home since July 2, 2009 for the Yankees, who saw their lead trimmed to 1 1/2 games in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which defeated Boston at Fenway Park.

"They were just aggressive, swinging early and it took my aggressiveness away," said Sabathia, who also lost for the first time in nine starts to the O's. "We tried to mix it up early in the count but I wasn't able to get my secondary pitches over for strikes. They got some balls to hit and didn't miss them."

Hoping to get the Yankees off the schneid this afternoon will be right-handed rookie Ivan Nova, who is 1-0 in his four starts with a 2.89 earned run average. Nova made his Yankee Stadium debut on Friday against Toronto, but did not get a decision as he allowed three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of his team's 7-3 win.

Nova, who will be facing the O's for the first time, has yet to get out of the sixth inning in any of his starts, but New York's bullpen has been terrific of late. Since July 26 Yankee relievers have pitched to a 1.54 ERA and have allowed only one run in the club's last seven games, a span of 20 1/3 innings.

Baltimore will counter with right-hander Brad Bergesen, who has allowed three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts and has worked at least seven innings in five of those outings. However, he was charged with the loss on Thursday against Boston, which reached him for five runs (two earned) and eight hits in 5 1/3 frames, dropping him to 6-10 to go along with a 5.47 ERA.

Bergesen lost to the Yankees back on June 2 when he could not get out of the third inning and is 0-2 in two starts against them with a 10.38 ERA.

New York has won 10 of its 14 matchups with the O's this season.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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