Today’s focus will be on the Junior Circuit, with seven games on tap. There appears to be a solid matchup in the Seattle-New York contest even though both teams are playing around .500 baseball. Both starting pitchers in that contest are a combined 7-0.

Friday’s Tip Sheet will focus on four key contests spanning from Yankee Stadium to the California coast.

**Mariners (Bedard) at Yankees (Wang)**

-Caesars Palace installed New York as a $1.35 home ‘chalk’ over Seattle, with the total set at 8 1/2 ‘under’ (minus $1.20). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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-Seattle’s Erik Bedard (2-0, 2.04 ERA) is off Saturday’s victory over Oakland as a $1.53 home favorite, 5-3. The 6-foot-1 southpaw tossed 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball while allowing two hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

-The combined eight runs landed directly on the closing total. The Mariners have won all three of his starts this season.

-Bedard went 2-0 against the Yankees last year in three starts, going a combined 21 innings while being reached for just three runs on 11 hits (one home run) with three walks and 21 strikeouts. Seattle won those games as a $1.30 road underdog, 6-4, as a $1.25 home ‘dog, 4-0, and as a $1.25 road ‘dog, 6-3. The ‘under’ went 2-0-1 during those three games.

-New York right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (5-0, 3.23 ERA) continued his winning ways be upending Cleveland Sunday as a $1.10 road ‘chalk,’ 1-0. The Taiwan native pitched seven scoreless innings, surrendering four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

-The lone run never seriously threatened the nine-run closing total, ending back-to-back ‘over’ outings for the four-year veteran.

-Wang went 2-0 against the Mariners last year in two starts, tossing a combined 15 1/3 innings while yielding two runs on seven hits (two home runs) with three walks and five strikeouts. The Yankees prevailed as a $2.80 home favorite, 8-1, and as a $2.60 home ‘chalk,’ 12-3.

**White Sox (Buehrle) at Blue Jays (Marcum)**

-Caesars Palace opened Toronto as a $1.30 home favorite over Chicago, with the total set at 8 ½. This contest is scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. ET.

-Chicago pitcher Mark Buehrle (1-2, 5.65 ERA) heads to the hill searching for his first victory in almost a month after going 0-2 his last three starts. The 6-foot2 hurler received a no-decision in Saturday’s effort against Baltimore, allowing three runs on three hits (one home run) with two walks and five strikeouts over six innings.

-The White Sox eventually prevailed as a $1.70 home ‘chalk,’ 6-5, while the combined 11 runs went ‘over’ the 9 ½-run closing total. The ‘under’ had cashed his previous two outings.

-Buehrle went 1-1 against the Blue Jays last season, going a combined 16 innings while surrendering just two runs on 10 hits (two home runs) with a walk and 12 strikeouts. The White Sox prevailed as a $1.25 home underdog, 2-0, while losing as a $1.37 road ‘dog, 2-0. The ‘under’ cashed both times.

-Toronto’s Shaun Marcum (2-2, 3.24 ERA) is currently mired in a personal two-game losing skid after falling to Kansas City Saturday as a $1.22 road favorite, 2-1. The 26-year-old went seven innings while surrendering both runs on four hits (one home run) with three walks and four strikeouts.

-The combined three runs never seriously threatened the 8 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 3-1 his last four starts. All three of those ‘under’ games resulted in losses for the Blue Jays.

-Marcum went 1-0 against Chicago last year in two starts, yielding a combined four runs on six hits (three home runs) with three walks and 12 strikeouts over 11 innings. The Blue Jays prevailed as a $1.40 home ‘chalk,’ 4-3, and as a $1.10 road ‘dog, 4-1. The ‘under’ prevailed in both contests.

**Tigers (Galarraga) at Twins (Hernandez)**

-Caesars Palace lists Detroit as a $1.40 road ‘chalk’ over Minnesota, with the total set at nine ‘over’ (minus $1.20). This AL Central matchup is slated to start at 8:10 p.m. ET.

-Detroit righty Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.50 ERA) is off Saturday’s no-decision against Los Angeles. The Venezuela native went six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

-The Tigers eventually won that contest as a $1.35 home favorite, 6-4, while the combined 10 runs slithered ‘under’ the 10 ½-run closing total. The ‘under’ has cashed his previous two outings.

-Galarraga, a two-year veteran, has never started against Minnesota during his brief major league career.

-Minnesota’s Livan Hernandez (3-1, 5.05 ERA) has gone 0-1 his last three starts after Sunday’s setback to Texas as a $1.10 road underdog, 10-0. The veteran right-hander was reached for seven runs on nine hits (two home runs) with a walk and two strikeouts over just 2 2/3 innings.

-The 10 runs toppled the 9 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ improve to 4-1 his last five starts. The Twins had won Hernandez’s first five starts of the year.

-The Cuba native has not started against the Tigers the past few seasons.

**Rangers (Padilla) at Athletics (Blanton)**

-Caesars Palace opened Oakland as a $1.40 home favorite over Texas, with the total listed at 8 ½. This contest is scheduled to start at 10:05 p.m. ET.

-Texas pitcher Vicent Padilla (3-2, 3.79 ERA) has alternated wins and losses his five starts this season after Sunday’s victory over Minnesota as a $1.20 home favorite, 10-0. The 30-year-old went the complete-game route, yielding seven hits along with two walks and two strikeouts.

-The ‘over’ is 5-1 in Padilla’s six starts.

-The Nicaragua native fell to Oakland last year as a $1.17 road underdog, 11-9. The veteran right-hander didn’t record an out before leaving with an injury, but he did surrender two runs (one earned) on one hit. The combined 20 runs soared ‘over’ the 9 ½-run closing total.

-Oakland’s Joe Blanton (2-4, 4.07 ERA) had dropped back-to-back outings before doubling-up Seattle Sunday as a $1.43 road underdog, 4-2. The former Kentucky Wildcat went seven innings while being reached for two runs on eight hits (one home run) with two walks and three strikeouts.

-The combined six runs failed to eclipse the 7 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 2-1 his last three starts.

-The 6-foot-3 right-hander went 2-0 against the Rangers last year in two starts, going a combined 13 innings while surrendering six runs on 12 hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts. The Athletics prevailed as a $1.10 road underdog, 16-4, and as a $1.60 home ‘chalk,’ 7-3. The ‘over’ cashed in both games.

Brad Young can be reached to byoung@vegasinsider.com.