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Game Overview

The divisional series for MLB betting fans has been out of this world over the course of the last few days, as all four series have made it five games. The first of two Game 5s on the docket on Friday will pit the Baltimore Orioles against the New York Yankees.

The O’s just keep on finding ways to get the job done, and even when they looked dead in the water after Game 3, they forced this series to the distance when they beat the Bronx Bombers yesterday in extra innings. Jason Hammel was beaten up the first time that he met these Yankees in this series, as he allowed two runs in just 5.2 innings of work, walking four and allowing four hits. He threw a whopping 112 pitches to labor through that in the 7-2 loss, though of course, the majority of the damage was done off of closer Jim Johnson. Hammel has now guided the team to a 13-8 record over the course of his 21 starts this year for the O’s including the playoffs, and he has to think that this is the defining day in his career if he can go into the Bronx and win a close out game against a pitcher that is sure to be in the Hall of Fame here in the next decade or so.

The Yankees are sweating right now, and for good reason. Save for Game 1 of this series, all three of the games since that point have been one-run games, and we know just how good the Orioles have been in those spots. The cardiac O’s did it again to the Yankees bullpen last night, snatching the run off of David Phelps in the 13th inning to prevent them from making it to the ALCS. Now, it’s all or nothing. Of course, if you wanted one man on the mound in all of baseball in a Game 5 that you absolutely had to have to keep your season alive, CC Sabathia might not be the first man you pick, but he certainly is one of the first few. Sabathia nearly went the distance five days ago, allowing two runs in 8.2 innings of work. He conceded eight hits and walked one, striking out seven. It was the 16th win overall this year for Sabathia in 29 starts, but in the end, he has only led his team to a 19-10 record in those games.

Prediction

We saw it with Justin Verlander yesterday with the Detroit Tigers, and we are going to see it here tonight. Aces are aces for a reason. That’s the one thing that Baltimore really doesn’t have, and all of the moxie in the world can’t change that. Jason Hammel pitching a game with the season riding on the line? It just doesn’t sound right. It’s a chalky play, but we have to go for it. New York 6 – Baltimore 4