AL Central: Twins putting the heat on Chicago
Baseball Betting Lines
07/30/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins continue to prove that it takes more
than high-profile personnel moves to compete for a postseason berth.
While the Detroit Tigers inked Johnny Damon and Jose Valverde in the
offseason, Minnesota stayed quiet. While the Chicago White Sox went after Jake
Peavy, the Twins shifted their focus to the guys in-house. Yet after four
months of baseball, the Twins are once again right in the thick of the
American League Central race, 1 1/2 games back of first-place Chicago entering
Friday.
Winners of five straight, the Twins just wrapped up a seven-game road trip
with an impressive 6-1 mark. Most importantly, the pitching and hitting both
seem to be gelling at the same time. During this week's three-game sweep of
the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota held a 36-7 edge in run differential and
exploded for 53 hits. In addition, the starters have gone 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA
during the seven-game trip.
"That's been the key to our wins," catcher Joe Mauer said. "Yeah, we've scored
a few runs here, but we're not going to do that every night. If we go out
there and we can hold them to a couple runs here and there, I think it gives
us a great chance of winning."
At the center of the offensive outburst has been the rapid ascension of Delmon
Young, the former top overall pick who is now starting to live up to his huge
potential. Young has taken off by hitting .439 in July, and he now ranks in
the top-5 in the American League in batting average (.334), RBI (79) and
doubles (31).
He has also been quite the clutch hitter for Minnesota, as evidenced by his
.436 average and 61 RBI this season with runners in scoring position.
"Delmon's definitely different than we've seen Delmon in the past," said
Royals starter Brian Bannister, who served up a first-inning home run to Young
on Wednesday. "I think he's the hottest hitter in baseball right now."
While he has been on a tear of late, Young isn't swinging the only hot bat in
the lineup. Mauer hit .480 (12-for-25) during the recently concluded seven-
game trip. Together, he and Young have helped make up for the absence of
cleanup hitter Justin Morneau, who has been out since July 7 with a
concussion. No timetable has been set for his return.
On Thursday, Minnesota finally added a closer to replace Joe Nathan, who was
lost for the season back in the spring. The Twins acquired All-Star closer
Matt Capps and cash from the Washington Nationals for minor leaguers Wilson
Ramos and Joe Testa. Caps has a 2.47 ERA in 47 games and has converted 26 of
30 save opportunities on the year.
TIGERS HOPING TO STOP THEIR POST-BREAK SLIDE
To say the Detroit Tigers have struggled since the All-Star break would be
like saying MTV's Jersey Shore has generated a bit of buzz in pop culture.
Heading into the break, the Tigers were 10 games over .500 and only a half-
game behind the first-place Chicago White Sox, who had just reeled off eight
straight wins at the time. Since then, Detroit has gone an abysmal 3-12 to
fall back to third place in the division, six games behind Chicago.
The road ahead won't get much easier, as the Tigers open a three-game set in
Boston beginning Friday night. In the weeks ahead, they'll also play seven
games against the White Sox, four against the New York Yankees, three against
the Tampa Bay Rays, and another three against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Tigers are already dealing with Magglio Ordonez on the disabled
list, among others.
"We're in emergency mode, really," manager Jim Leyland said. "That's just the
way it is. You can say all you want. When I say that, I'm saying we just have
to fight our tails off every day, try to win as many games as we can until we
get some pieces straightened out a little bit. That's what we have to do.
There's no sense fooling everybody. That's what we have to do, and we're doing
it. We're just not quite getting over the hump."
To help the team's chances, general manager Dave Dombrowski traded for
Indians' third baseman Jhonny Peralta earlier this week. However, Peralta
alone won't get Detroit over the hump. As Leyland put it, it's do-or-die time
for the Tigers to come together.
WHITE SOX JUST KEEP WINNING AT HOME
The Chicago White Sox have really asserted themselves in the month of July,
posting a 17-7 record. Unfortunately for them, the red-hot Twins have been
able to keep stride of late, as those two have begun to separate from the rest
of the pack in the AL Central.
Winners of four straight, the White Sox enter Friday a season-high 13 games
above .500 (57-44) and with a game-and-a-half lead in the division. Having
just wrapped up a four-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners, Chicago has won 11
straight at U.S. Cellular Field and is now 31-19 at home. The 11-game streak
marks the team's longest home winning streak since a 13-game stretch in 1989.
Of course, the White Sox don't have the luxury of playing all home games the
rest of the way. Longtime veteran infielder Omar Vizquel said he believes one
key addition could help push Chicago over the hump and assume control of the
division.
"If it's not another pitcher, probably it's another hitter," Vizquel told the
Chicago Tribune. "This is a time where we really need to make a step toward
getting better and to separate between the teams that are around, having a
chance, and the teams that really need to go on to the playoffs.
"This is the last time to make a change, and I think that with another guy on
the team we might secure the next step."
Manager Ozzie Guillen said Thursday night that he had not even seen general
manager Kenny Williams in the past two or three days. Williams' ideal trade
deadline acquisition would be a left-handed bat to drive in runs. Guillen,
however, said he expects the roster to stay the same on August 1, which is
fine with him.
TRIBE IN WAIT-AND-SEE MODE WITH SANTANA, TALBOT
The Cleveland Indians may have lost more than an 11-4 decision to the New York Yankees Thursday night. Rookie starting pitcher Mitch Talbot will stay in
Cleveland to have an MRI on his back, while rookie catcher Carlos Santana
tries to recover from taking a fastball off his kneecap in the seventh inning.
Talbot began feeling a strain in the middle of his back during the second
inning of Thursday's start, and when the discomfort remained two batters into
the third inning, he was removed from the game. Talbot, who is 8-9 with a 4.09
ERA in his first full big league season, said he didn't anticipate missing any
time.
"I really don't think it's serious at all," Talbot said. "I think I'll be out
there again in five days. I don't think I'll miss any time."
Likewise, Santana wasn't very worried about his injury, saying that he iced it
and expected to be ready to go Friday. Although he initially remained in the
game, Santana was eventually replaced by Chris Gimenez to begin the eighth.
If the prognosis turns out to be longer for either player, it would obviously
be a tough break for an Indians ballclub that has seemingly been through it
all this year. With the bullpen being asked to pitch the last seven innings
after Talbot's exit, manager Manny Acta turned to backup third baseman Andy
Marte to pitch the ninth.
Incidentally, Marte retired the side in order, even striking out Nick Swisher
for the second out.
PODSEDNIK DEALT, WHO IS NEXT TO GO FOR ROYALS?
On Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals shipped veteran outfielder Scott
Podsednik to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league catcher Lucas May and
right-hander Elisaul Pimentel.
Essentially, the trade nets two prospects instead of the one compensatory pick
the team would have received if Podsednik left as a free agent after the
season. The move also gives manager Ned Yost some roster flexibility with a
few younger players.
"It allows us to put Alex Gordon in left field and just let him go," Yost told
the Kansas City Star. "It also opens up a spot for Mitch Maier to get more
playing time. Both of those things are important."
Podsednik leaves the Royals with a .310 batting average and also in the midst
of a career-high 15-game hitting streak. In May, Kansas City gets a 25-year-
old player who was hitting .296 with 11 homers and 45 RBI in 73 games for the
Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. He'll report to Triple-A Omaha. Pimentel, 22, was
assigned to Single-A Burlington after compiling a 9-3 record and a 3.49 ERA in
16 starts for Single-A Great Lakes. He was the Midwest League pitcher of the
month for June after going 4-0 with a 0.39 ERA.
Meanwhile, any dreams of unloading pitcher Gil Meche and his $12 million
annual salary were washed away with the news that he'll be undergoing season-
ending right shoulder surgery sometime next week. Meche, who has been on the
DL since May 25 with what was initially diagnosed as bursitis, is hoping to
return by Spring Training, or early next season at worst.
<< Niners ink draft picks Davis, Mays, Bowman
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed three
of their first four picks from April's draft, including first-rounder Anthony
Davis.
In addition to a five-year deal for Davis, an offensive tackle from Rutger
<< K.C. hopes to build on win vs. Man United in league play vs. TFC
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a disappointing season to so
for the Kansas City Wizards, but the Major League Soccer club is hoping it can
use a 2-1 win in an exhibition against English premier League side Manchester
United
<< Rapids, Dallas both gunning for points in Western showdown
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids host FC Dallas at
Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night.
The Rapids (6-5-5), who are winless in six league fixtures, should have their
hands f
<< Sounders aim to continue winning ways against 'Quakes
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC will go for their third
straight win on Saturday when they visit Buck Shaw Stadium to face the San
Jose Earthquakes.
The Sounders followed a 1-0 win over D.C. United with a 2-1 vi
<< Hilliard, Tyree retire as Giants
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Giants receivers Ike
Hilliard and David Tyree each signed contracts this week to retire as members
of the organization.
Hilliard played in 98 games, starting 92, during his career
Revs searching for league success against Union >>
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England has won four straight games without
allowing a goal, but just one of those matches was in Major League Soccer. The
Revolution hope to build on their SuperLiga success in league play Saturday at
PPL Par
Youzhny ousted in Gstaad quarters >>
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Mikhail Youzhny was a
quarterfinal upset victim Friday at the Swiss Open Gstaad.
Qualifier Yuri Schukin upended his world No. 14 fellow Russian Youzhny 6-4,
2-6, 7-5 in 2 hours, 12
Dolphins sign ex-Saints DE Grant >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have signed defensive end
Charles Grant.
Terms of the deal were not released, but the Palm Beach Post reported
Wednesday that the contract is for two years and is worth $4.5 milli
Packers ink first-round pick Bulaga >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers have signed first-round
draft pick Bryan Bulaga.
The Green Bay Press Gazette is reporting that the offensive lineman has signed
a five-year deal worth $14.75 million, with $8.76 million
White Sox pick up Jackson from Arizona >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have acquired pitcher
Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitchers Dan
Hudson and David Holmberg.
Jackson was in his first year with Arizona after being
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
read more
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