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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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Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a disappointing season to so
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United
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<< 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
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
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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