Friday's betting tips

Weather watch

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the BMW Championship Friday. The forecast for St. Louis is calling for a 29 percent chance of rain in the morning, jumping to a 79 percent chance later in the afternoon. Golf bettors may want to take note with groups teeing off later in the day.

Betting notes and tips

-- Utah has won 20 of the last 22 meetings with Utah State and leads the overall series 77-28-4. However, the Aggies are only 6.5-point home underdogs after being tagged as 20-plus pups in previous years.

-- Blue Jays manager John Farrell declared that LHP Ricky Romero will skip Saturday's start against Boston in favor of his next one on Wednesday. Farrell contends that the extra rest will be a positive for Romero, who has lost 12 consecutive decisions.

-- Colorado has never been shut out in three consecutive games. The Rockies were blanked 1-0 in the final two games with the Braves this week. Colorado takes on Philadelphia and Cliff Lee Friday with a total of 7.5 runs.

-- Pirates SP A.J. Burnett has pitched 14 1-3 scoreless innings in two starts against the Cubs this season, allowing seven hits and four walks while striking out 14. The Bucs are -191 home faves versus the Cubbies with a total of 7.5 runs.

-- Minnesota has taken seven of 11 meetings with Cleveland this season. The Twins are -128 home faves vs. the Tribe.

-- The Braves went 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position in the four games against Colorado. Atlanta played under the total in all four and face a 7.5-run number against the Mets Friday.

-- Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch is still a question mark for Sunday’s season opener against Arizona. He was limited in practice this week due to a nagging back ailment and has suffered through back spasms since his days at Cal. The Seahawks are 1-point road favorites versus the Cardinals.