Wrong team favored. The Orioles are seven games better than the Red Sox. Baltimore still is in the playoff hunt. The Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention with their 2-0 loss to the Yankees Sunday night.

Boston has lost five in a row. The Red Sox have no incentive. They had to play last night in New York and sit through a 98-minute rain delay. The Red Sox haven't played at home in eight days so their concentration could be off returning from being on the road.

The Orioles are still fighting. They've been the most profitable team from a betting standpoint. Baltimore just played a tough series against the Astros. This is a major step down in class.

The pitching matchup favors Baltimore, too. The Orioles are going with veteran Jordan Lyles, who is 11-11 with a 4.50 ERA. Lyles is a bottom-of-the-rotation type starter, but he rates an edge on overmatched Boston rookie Connor Seabold, who is 0-3 with a 10.47 ERA. Seabold has never won in the majors. He's been tagged for 11 runs in his last two starts spanning 7 2/3 innings.