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.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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