The long anticipated return of former staff ace and Cy Young award-winner Roy Halladay to Toronto will finally take place this weekend, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time since trading their franchise player more than a year ago. The Blue Jays received some young talent in exchange for Halladay, but while that may work in their favor over the next couple of MLB betting years, Philadelphia has benefited from one of the most dominant arms in the game leading the way for its staff.Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
Saturday July 2, 2011 – 1:07 PM ET
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada
Online Sports Betting Odds: Philadelphia Phillies – 130
Halladay has been outstanding since making the move to the National League last season, earning Cy Young award honors in his first year with the Phillies and now following that up on pace for another. Toronto will send young arm Carlos Villanueva to the mound to counter the Doc in Saturday’s matinee game.
MLB Betting Preview: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are absolutely loaded on the mound, with Halladay and Cole Hamels leading the way for a staff that potentially owns four aces. They key to Philadelphia making an extended postseason run now is the play of the offense, which has ranked in the bottom-half of the league but has shown flashes of strong play. Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco have done well to get on base, while Ryan Howard continues to be the force that drives in runs, but the Phillies are looking for more from players such as Raul Ibanez and to an extent Chase Utley. Halladay is 10-3 with an incredible 2.40 ERA, and he should have no problem against a Toronto offense that has struggled with consistency all sports betting bonus year.
MLB Betting Preview: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have shown flashes of being a team that could one day compete in the talented American League East, but there are still a few missing pieces on both sides of the ball that the team will need to acquire to get there. The offense has gone stale behind home run and All Star voting leader Jose Bautista, and Toronto will need key players such as Aaron Hill and Juan Rivera to do better from the batter’s box. Carlos Villanueva is 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA and has looked very good at times this MLB season, but he is simply outmatched against Halladay in this one.
MLB Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
Despite their success, the Phillies have struggled on the road this season and will look to turn things around beginning with their trip to Toronto. Halladay will look to put on a show in the stadium in which he became one of the best in baseball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the reigning NL Cy Young award winner go the distance.
BSN Sports Pick: Philadelphia Phillies - 130
