MLB Baseball / Andy Morris / 12 May 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

It's about time the New York Yankees started looking like the World Series champions so many people had them pegged as in pre-season. And their series in Toronto is suddenly looking huge, writes Andy Morris.

It's the first time these two American League East rivals will meet this season, and the first time Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett returns to Canada since leaving the Jays in the off-season.

His five-year, $82.5 million contract puts pressure on him to get results, but against the Jays' ace Roy Halladay he might find his peer.

Burnett has had a good start to the season, sitting 2-0 with a 5.26 ERA going into this one, but Halladay leads the majors with six wins so far (he is 6-1 with a 3.29 ERA) and his teammates have exploded offensively.

The Yankees are under .500 so far this season, and in this tough division they need to start piling up those wins. Few expected Toronto to be a factor, but with last season's World Series losers the Rays and the red-hot Red Sox in the same division, the Yankees can't afford to play average baseball for long.

The Blue Jays are strong down the batting order, from Marco Scutaro who gets on base often through Aaron Hill who has been a revelation with the bat since returning from injury, down through Adam Lind and Vernon Wells who provide the power, this is a team that looks capable of challenging for post-season play for the first time since they won their second World Series in 1993.

They sit 22-12 going into this one, and significantly this showdown should bring out the fans - who have been largely sitting at home so far this season, despite the winning record - and the atmosphere can help the Jays to perform. Take the Blue Jays in match odds betting - the Yankees might take the series here, but they'll get little from Halladay.

Andy Sonnanstine was a key factor in Tampa Bay's success last season, and the righty starting pitcher was looked to for a repeat this year. But he is 1-3 going into the game with the Orioles, and the Rays are three games under .500.

He has put together two good starts in his last two outings, though, defeating the Red Sox before getting a no-decision against the Yankees last Wednesday. So against Mark Hendrickson, who is 1-4 on the season, he should be capable of improving his record.

Hendrickson has completed five innings in just three of his last six starts, and with the Orioles again bringing up the rear in the AL East - they stand 13-19 going into this one - you'd have to back the Rays in match odds betting.

Defending World Series champions, the Philadelphie Phillies, have yet to set baseball alight this year. And against the Dodgers, who are just off the back of an 8-3 homestand and own a Major League-best 22-11 record, they are hard to fancy.

Sure, the Dodgers are without Manny Ramirez which will hurt, but the Phillies are only one game over .500 on the season and go with their struggling starter Chan Ho Park in this one (against lefty Clayton Kershaw).

Park is 0-1 on the season, with a high 6.67 ERA, and there is talk that he will go back to the bullpen. Back the Dodgers in this one in match odds betting.

Rich Harden is a pitcher to have faith in when the Cubs host the Padres. Harden is 3-1 on the season, and comes up against 2-4 Jake Peavy.

The Cubs are 17-14, the Padres struggling at 13-19. It all points the way to a Cubs victory, and I'll be backing them in match odds.