It wouldnt surprise me if it came out that Jays players bet the overs in their own games...you just can't overlook a stat like "Toronto batted .526 (10-for-19) with a man on second, knocking in 19 runs with three doubles and four home runs." and Toronto overs are 7-2 in the last 9 games! Incredible!

MLB Thu, Jul 21, 2005

Cheaters! Jays stealing signs and playing over

Josh Hansen

The art of sign stealing has been around longer than the dirt at Yankee Stadium.

And while virtually every team does it, few are willing to admit it, including the Toronto Blue Jays. Twice they`ve been accused of this felony this season, with the latest finger pointing coming from the Seattle Mariners.

"It goes on everywhere, not only players, but coaches as well," says Covers Expert Tony George. "I’ve always noticed teams scoring a lot of runs with someone on second, they steal signs and it’s always going to go on."

Toronto`s Orlando Hudson was the man on second during Wednesday night`s win as –120 faves. The Mariners eventually caught wind of the alleged thievery, resulting in some harsh words from Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo during an on-mound meeting with starting pitcher Ryan Franklin.

Second base provides the best vantage point for a base runner to steal the signs an opposing catcher is showing his pitcher. The base runner then relays the information to his manager in the dugout, who subsequently tells the batter the location of the upcoming pitch.

Cooler heads did prevail Wednesday night, but it didn`t stop Toronto from pounding out nine runs against the Mariners – all of which coming with a man on second.

"It seemed like every time they had a guy standing on second base," Seattle’s Richie Sexon said, "they hit a ball in the gap."

“I don`t think we have a reputation for stealing signs, not by any means," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "I mean, no more than the next guy."

While the evidence against the Jays is circumstantial, the numbers in their two games against the Mariners are enough to convince a jury. Toronto batted .526 (10-for-19) with a man on second, knocking in 19 runs with three doubles and four home runs.

That ‘timely’ hitting helped the Jays cash in on the over for the seventh time in the last nine games, a trend Covers Expert Tony George expects to continue when the Jays head to Kansas City for a weekend set versus the Royals.

"Kansas City is a team they can hit off, in fact Kansas City is a team anyone can hit off," says Tony George. "Toronto built a lot of momentum versus Seatttle and I think it will continue ."

Oddsmakers have Toronto set at -110 to take today`s series opener from the Royals.