Canadian MLB Report: A power outage in the Citi

Baseball Betting Lines

07/01/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second straight season, a New York Mets slugger has fallen victim to a power outage at Citi Field.

In 2009, David Wright swatted just 10 home runs, the lowest output of his career. And now Jason Bay, who has six homers thus far, is in jeopardy of seeing his streak of 20-home run years end at six consecutive.

Bay, who inked a four-year deal with the Mets in the offseason, has traditionally been a key source of power. He's averaged a .279-31-104 stat line over his career, and was acquired by the Mets with the thought they would be adding such numbers to their lineup.

But, the 2004 National League Rookie of the Year is on pace to finish the season with just 13 homers and 76 RBI. His 36 RBI on the season are especially low, given he's driven in at least 50 runs by the All-Star break in each of his past four seasons. The 31-year-old, however, might be slowly heating up, as he's driven in nine runs over his last nine games.

For the season, Bay has a .275 average and .366 on-base percentage to go along with 10 steals, respectable numbers that have helped salvage what has been an otherwise disappointing season to this point. The Trail, British Columbia native has not been caught stealing on the year and looks to be chasing the career-high mark of 21 he set in 2005, though stolen bases had little to do with why the Mets brought him to Queens.

What's most disconcerting is Bay's .237-1-26 line with runners in scoring position. If Bay can start capitalizing in the clutch, he could be in for a big second half. The expected return of teammate Carlos Beltran around the All- Star break could also bode well for Bay's numbers, as he will offer a layer of protection for Bay in the Mets lineup.

New York will undoubtedly need Bay to up his game post-All-Star break, when playoff races start shaping up. Following Wednesday night's matchups, the Mets sit 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the division lead.

CANADIAN CONTRIBUTORS

Joey Votto: The Cincinnati Reds slugger has reached base safely in 38 straight games and continues to have a monster first half, well on his way to setting career-highs in a number of offensive categories. With his steady production and the Reds' strong play, Votto should be a lock to make his first All-Star appearance. The first baseman is hitting .313 with 18 homers and 55 RBI. His 18 long balls place him in a tie for the league lead with Albert Pujols, Corey Hart and Mark Reynolds.

Justin Morneau: The Twins' power-hitting first basemen snapped out of a June slump in a big way, collecting eight multi-hit efforts in his final 10 games of the month. He's now sporting a line of .349-16-52 and has kept the Twins at the top of the AL Central through the first three months of play.

Ryan Dempster: The Chicago Cubs right-hander has won three of his last four decisions to improve his record to 6-6 on the season. Dempster carries with him a respectable 3.58 ERA, and his 105 strikeouts are the eighth highest total in the NL. He's also logged 110.2 innings, leaving him on pace to hit the 200 mark for a third consecutive season.

John Axford: While he may not have the greatest job security, no one in the Milwaukee Brewers organization is complaining about the way Axford has pitched this year. After throwing only 7.2 innings in his first big league season in '09, Axford has stepped up and filled a large void in the Brewers' bullpen. Since taking over the closer's role from Trevor Hoffman towards the end of May, Axford is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities.

Erik Bedard: It looks like the Seattle Mariners will finally get one of their top arms back, as the oft-injured lefty nears a trip back to the majors. Bedard (shoulder) has been impressive in multiple rehab assignments and is slated to make his final start for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday before joining the big league club. Bedard has not thrown an inning in 2010 and has failed to pitch 100 innings in each of the past two seasons due to injuries. When healthy, Bedard is effective, posting a career 8.77 K/9 rate with a lifetime record of 51-41, but has made just 30 starts since 2008.