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Five of ESPN.coms MLB beat writers who cover teams battling for wild-card berths were asked to make a case for why their team will be playing a do-or-die playoff game in October. Below, Eddie Matz argues for the Baltimore Orioles against fellow writers Mark Saxon (St. Louis Cardinals), Andrew Marchand (New York Yankees), Katie Strang (Detroit Tigers) and Adam Rubin (New York Mets).For more on the other contenders, check out Wild-card Wednesday.?Matz: The Orioles will nab one of the AL wild-card spots because of -- get this -- their starting pitching. No, really. After blowing chunks for most of the season, Baltimores rotation is rounding into shape when it matters most. Ubaldo Jimenez has magically gone from the worst pitcher in baseball to arguably the teams most dependable starter. Kevin Gausman is currently in midair, making the leap. And Chris Tillman looked good as new in his first start back from the DL, which means that the Os can now banish their most glaring weak link (Wade Miley) to the bullpen. Combine that with a homer-happy lineup thats been scoring in bunches lately and the only reason the Birds wouldnt get a wild-card berth is if they win the division outright.Marchand: The Orioles look as if they are prime position to win a wild-card spot, but the inconsistency they have played with over the year is something that has to be a concern. Plus, they might be pitching well now, but do you really trust those starters to come up big?Saxon: Well, something doesnt add up because FiveThirtyEight has them at just 61 percent even to make the playoffs and 4 percent -- behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays -- to win the World Series. Somebody should put back on his designer black frames and remove the rose-colored glasses.Strang: Not sure I see the Orioles sustaining this level of offensive production, which, admittedly, has been absolutely wild. Youd think that at some point, even a lineup as talented as theirs has to cool off. As for the pitching staff, suffice it to say I dont see the triumphant Jimenez comeback story ending the same way Eddie might envision it. And Tillman, though very impressive in his last start against the Tigers, is not out of the woods yet with that shoulder issue. That has to be an area of concern for Baltimore moving forward.Rubin: The Orioles have several potentially fatal flaws. Among them: streaky hitters, an all-or-nothing offense and a fried bullpen. Since the All-Star break, Baltimores 4.50 ERA is second-to-last in the American League, ahead of only the lowly Twins (5.43).Wil Lutz Saints Jersey . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Erik McCoy Womens Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Michael-Thomas-Jersey/ . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Cameron Jordan Youth Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Marshon Lattimore Saints JerseyPHILADELPHIA -- Kris Jenkins hit six 3s and scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 2 Villanova past Penn 82-57 on Tuesday night.The defending national champion Wildcats (7-0) dominated yet again, beating the Quakers for the 14th straight time. The Wildcats also settled in for another round-robin romp: Nova won its record 15th straight Big 5 game. Villanova, Penn, La Salle, Saint Josephs and Temple have long had its rivalry games intertwined in the fabric of Philadelphia sports. The Wildcats have spent most of the last decade stomping the other four teams.The Ivy League Quakers (2-3) won the opening tip, the students that packed the Palestra roared, they missed their first shot -- and Jenkins buried a 3 on the other end. Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3, so did Mikal Bridges and Hart added one and the Wildcats led 40-22.Jenkins hit three of Villanovas seven 3-pointers in the first half to put this one away in a hurry.No. 4 KANSAS 91, LONG BEACH STATE 61LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Lagerald Vick scored a career-high 23 points on near-perfect shooting, Svi Mykhailiuk had 14 and Kansas rolled to a victory over Long Beach State.Josh Jackson added 13 points and Devonte Graham had 12 for the Jayhawks (6-1), who doubled up the 49ers (1-8) at 50-25 out of the break and coasted to their 44th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse.Vick was 9 for 9 from the floor, one shy of the school record held by Norm Cook and Danny Manning, and hit four 3-pointers. His only miss came on the second of two free throws with 5:47 left.Justin Bibbins had 13 points to lead Long Beach State, which has lost eight in a row -- all on the road and mostly to teams that will be in the NCAA Tournament.No. 5 DUKE 78, MICHIGAN STATE 69DURHAM, N.C. -- Grayson Allen scored 24 points, Luke Kennard added 20 and Duke beat Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Amile Jefferson had 17 points and 13 rebounds while freshman Frank Jackson finished with 11 points and keyed a timely 11-0 run for the Blue Devils (7-1).They won their fourth straight despite shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range.Eron Harris scored 14 points for Michigan State (4-4). Playing their first game as an unranked team since March 2015, the Spartans had 18 turnovers and star freshman Miles Bridges was held to 11 points -- six fewer than his team-leading average -- on 4-of-13 shooting.No. 7 XAVIER 85, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 55CINCINNATI -- Trevon Bluiett scored 15 of his 23 points during Xaviers dominant first half, and the Musketeers remained unbeaten with a victory over North Dakota State.The Musketeers (7-0) opened with a decisive run for the second straight game. Sean OMara added 12 points and five rebounds, and Malcolm Bernard had 10 points and eight rebounds.Xaavier got up 30-10 during a 64-42 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday, giving up only 12 points in the first half -- the fewest it has allowed in any half since the shot clock was introduced for the 1985-86 season.dddddddddddd Against North Dakota State (5-3), the Musketeers opened with a 30-11 run and were never challenged.Redshirt freshman Deng Geu scored a career-high 18 for the Bison, who trailed by as many as 36 points.No. 10 CREIGHTON 93, BUFFALO 72OMAHA, Neb. -- Marcus Foster scored 22 points, Justin Patton had season highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds and Creighton pulled away in the second half for a win over Buffalo.Khyri Thomas also had his first double-double, with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Maurice Watson Jr. had 15 points and eight assists for the Bluejays (7-0).Foster had nine points during the decisive 13-0 run that made it 67-51 after the Bulls had cut Creightons lead to 54-51. The Bulls got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.Blake Hamilton and Willie Conner scored 21 points apiece to lead the Bulls (4-3), and Raheem Johnson added 14.No. 17 WISCONSIN 77, No. 22 SYRACUSE 60MADISON, Wis. -- Ethan Happ had 24 points and 13 rebounds, zone-busting guard Bronson Koenig scored 20 points and Wisconsin beat Syracuse.Koenig, the seasoned senior guard, was 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and the Badgers (6-2) shot 48 percent overall (11 of 23) from behind the arc against the Oranges 2/3 zone.Wisconsin led by as much as 17 in the second half before Syracuse (4-2) went on a 6-0 run capped by John Gillons layup with 11:25 left. Two Wisconsin turnovers in that span with Koenig on the bench gave Syracuse the opening.Coach Greg Gard inserted Koenig back in the game and the Badgers went on a 7-2 run to retake a 16-point lead with 9:24 left.Andrew White III led Syracuse with 14 points, but went scoreless in the second half. DaJuan Coleman added 12 pointsVALPARAISO 65, No. 21 RHODE ISLAND 62VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Alec Peters scored 27 points to help Valparaiso knock off Rhode Island.Fourth in the nation in scoring at just over 25 points per game, Peters scored six points down the stretch and got a piece of Jarvis Garretts potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.Jubril Adekoya chipped in 13 points and Tevonn Walker had 10 for the Crusaders (7-1), who will take more than a week off before a trip to face No. 1 Kentucky in Lexington.Jared Terrell scored 21 points for Rhode Island (5-2) in the Rams first true road game of the season. Hassan Martin added 16 points and six rebounds.Valpo overcame 17 turnovers by out-rebounding Rhode Island, 35-28. Peters grabbed nine boards. ' ' '