masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgI don’t suggest that you wager on baseball, but if you can’t resist, make sure to avoid putting any money on Miguel Gonzalez pitching a complete game today. Or still being on the mound for the seventh inning stretch and the “OK Blue Jays” song.

You’ve got a diamond
You’ve got nine men
You’ve got a hat and a bat
And that’s not all
You’ve got the bleachers
Got ’em from spring ’til fall
You got a dog and a drink
And the umpire’s call
Waddaya want?
Let’s play ball!

Gonzalez will make…I don’t suggest that you wager on baseball, but if you can’t resist, make sure to avoid putting any money on Miguel Gonzalez pitching a complete game today. Or still being on the mound for the seventh inning stretch and the “OK Blue Jays” song.

You’ve got a diamond
You’ve got nine men
You’ve got a hat and a bat
And that’s not all
You’ve got the bleachers
Got ’em from spring ’til fall
You got a dog and a drink
And the umpire’s call
Waddaya want?
Let’s play ball!

Gonzalez will make an abbreviated start, no matter what the Blue Jays do at the plate. Manager Buck Showalter wants to give his relievers some work before Monday’s off-day and back-to-back workout days that lead into Game 1 of the Division Series at Camden Yards.

The baton will be passed a lot and Showalter jokingly apologized to reporters in advance. Find a comfortable seat.

Showalter told MASN’s Gary Thorne on “O’s Xtra” that Ubaldo Jimenez, Darren O’Day, Andrew Miller, Tommy Hunter and Zach Britton will pitch today.

Gonzalez is expected to start Game 3, followed by Bud Norris in Game 4 if necessary, and I’m going to keep writing it until Showalter confirms.

Miguel-Gonzalez-white-sidebar 2.pngGonzalez, who hasn’t started since last Sunday, is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in two outings against Toronto this season. He’s 5-2 with a 2.87 ERA in 10 career games (nine starts) against the Blue Jays. At Rogers Centre, Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA in seven games (six starts).

Adam Lind is 8-for-16 with a home run against Gonzalez. Edwin Encarnacion is only 3-for-20, but he’s got three home runs and seven RBIs.

Colby Rasmus is 2-for-16 and Jose Reyes is 1-for-11.

With a victory today, Gonzalez would give the Orioles four starters with 10 wins or more in a season for the first time since 1997 (Scott Erickson, Scott Kamieniecki, Jimmy Key and Mike Mussina.) The club record is five in 1979.

Can you name them without looking it up? Answer below.

Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is the last starter to face the Orioles before the Division Series. Hopefully, four days will be enough time to shake off the slumps that he may cause.

Dickey is 2-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) against the Orioles. He threw a one-hit shutout against them two years ago while pitching for the Mets.

Because you’re curious, I’ll mention that Wilson Betemit singled in the fifth inning for the only hit.

Adam Jones is 3-for-22 with a home run against Dickey. J.J. Hardy is 5-for-18 with a home run. Nick Markakis is 4-for-15 with two doubles and six walks.

Maybe that’s the key. Don’t swing the bat.

The five starters in 1979 who won at least 10 games were Mike Flanagan, Jim Palmer, Dennis Martinez, Scott McGregor and Steve Stone. Tippy Martinez also won 10 games out of the bullpen.

Stone went 11-7 with a 3.77 ERA in 1979. He went 25-7 with a 3.23 ERA in 1980 and won the Cy Young Award.

Stone won four games the following year and was done.