MLB Picks: Orioles vs. A's

It also could be the beginning of the end for one, or both, of these upstart squads that have put themselves into a most unlikely position with two weeks to go in the 2012 campaign. Both the A's and the O's have tough schedules to get through from here on out, and just taking two of three from one or the other isn't going to be enough to truly push them over the hump and into the promised land.

Friday's series opener will find a couple of lefthanders on the mound at the venerable Coliseum inOakland. Tommy Milone is up for the home team who is listed at -145 on the morning MLB odds after opening about 20 cents lower than that on the overnight numbers. The Orioles counter with Joe Saunders with the total perched on 7.5 runs and priced to the UNDER.

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SIDE

MONEY LINE

TOTAL

SCORE

BALTIMORE

OAKLAND

• +1½ -160
• +135
• o7 -110

• -1½ +150
• -145
• u7 +100

• +1½ -160
• +135
• o7 -115

• -1½ +140
• -150
• u7 -105

• +1½ -165
• +135
• o7 -115

• -1½ +145
• -145
• u7 -105

• +1½ -164
• +135
• o7 -109

• -1½ +148
• -143
• u7 -101

• +1½ -165
• +130
• o7 -120

• -1½ +145
• -150
• u7 +100

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Mention of a potential Baltimore-Oakland wild card play-in game needs to first carry notice that both teams remain in contention to reach the postseason as division winners. The Orioles begin the weekend knotted with the New York Yankees at the top of the AL East while the A's are nestled only three games south of the Texas Rangers out West.

But just getting in as wild cards will be difficult enough given their upcoming slates. Baltimore has a trip into Seattle and then all the way back on the other side of the map in Boston following this series. A homestand against the Blue Jays and Red Sox will come just before a trip to face the Tampa Bay Rays at the tail end of the schedule.

Oakland's remaining calendar is even more demanding. This quick home series with the O's is followed by a 10-game road trip that will take the Athletics through Detroit, the Bronx and Texas before they return home to meet the Mariners and Rangers once again. I'm not sure who they pissed off in MLB's scheduling office, but the A's might want to find out and begin a sucking up regiment to keep that from happening again.

Bob Melvin's club has at least proven it isn't road fodder after winning 12 straight away from home before Thursday's loss inAnaheim snapped that run. The A's will now turn to Milone to get them quickly back into the win column. A quick glance at his home/road splits would suggest that the former Southern Cal star is the right man for the job.

Milone does have a solid 2.77 ERA in Oakland this season compared to just over five on the road, but that number has been on the rise in his last four assignments at home. Just one of those four was a quality start, and the A's have managed to split the outings despite Milone allowing 15 earned runs in 22 combined innings (6.13 ERA).

Buck Showalter's bunch has also proven to be a decent road club, and the Orioles have certainly proven they never give up and are the kings of tight affairs. Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Rays in 14 innings left the O's 27-7 in 1-run games and 13-2 when contests go to extra innings.

However, they haven't had any such luck in Oakland the past dozen years or so, winning just 14 of the last 50 games on this diamond. Baltimore hopes that Saunders can help turn that around in the other direction. The former Hokie has plenty of experience on this mound from his days pitching for the Angels, and is 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA in his last five outings in Oakland.

If there's one thing that bothers me about the O's in this game, it is the cross-country travel after being involved in a pair of close, walk-off contests that forced Showalter to dip into his bullpen heavily. My pick in Game 1 will be on the A's; check back all weekend as we follow this series through Sunday's conclusion.

My picks: Athletics -145 +++