05/10/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle between division leaders resumes tonight, as the Boston Red Sox will collide with the Minnesota Twins again in the second installment of a four-game set at the Metrodome.
The Red Sox currently lead the AL East with a 23-15 record and have won six of their last eight games. Meanwhile, the Twins have won seven of their last nine games and now have a one-game lead in the AL Central.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is currently 5-0 for the Red Sox, and is coming off a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. However, the righthander has struggled with control problems and has walked 27 batters in 40 2/3 innings of work.
Against the Tigers on Monday, the Japanese hurler struggled to find the plate, walking eight batters in just five innings. Fortunately Dice-K was able to limit Detroit to just two hits and only one run.
In three starts on the road this season, Matsuzaka has posted a 2-0 mark with an impressive 2.16 ERA.
As for the Twins, Glen Perkins will be making his first-career start. Over the two previous seasons, the southpaw has made 23 appearances for the Twins out of the bullpen. For his career, he has a 2.88 ERA and has surrendered 11 runs in 34 1/3 innings.
On Friday, Mike Lamb singled home the winning run in the ninth, as the Twins rallied to down the Red Sox, 7-6.
Jonathan Papelbon entered the game for Boston in the ninth and Delmon Young greeted the Red Sox closer with a single to center field. Matt Tolbert bunted him over to second and, after Adam Everett popped out in foul territory for out number two, Young stole third. Carlos Gomez worked a walk and swiped second to put the winning run in scoring position.
Lamb was buried in the count, but hit a soft fly ball off the end of the bat that fell in and won the game for Minnesota.
Boof Bonser gave up six runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts over four-plus innings, while the bullpen tossed five scoreless innings of relief. The comeback made a winner out of Jesse Crain (1-1).
Second baseman Brendan Harris was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI before exiting in the sixth inning due to a tight right hamstring. Tolbert moved over from third to take Harris' spot in the field, and Lamb took over at the hot corner.
Everett doubled twice and scored a run for the Twins, who have won seven of their last nine contests.
Jon Lester gave up five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, while Papelbon (2-2) blew his second save in as many chances.
Mike Lowell went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI for Boston, which has dropped two of three. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo each had an RBI in defeat.
Boston won two of three games from the Twins at the Metrodome last May, but the Red Sox have gone just 3-7 as the visitor in this series since the beginning of the 2005 season.
<< Yankees send Rasner to hill against Tigers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner will make his
second start of the season this afternoon, when he takes the hill in the
second contest of a three-game set with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
Rasner
<< Jays, Tribe continue set in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Currently sitting at the bottom of the AL East Division,
the Toronto Blue Jays will try to grab a victory this evening, when they take
on the Cleveland Indians in the second meeting of a four-game series at
Progres
<< Angels' Saunders tries to stay hot in Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Saunders will try to continue his dominating efforts
for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight, when they battle the Tampa Bay
Rays in the second contest of a three-game stint at Tropicana Field.
Saunders has
<< Rangers, A's resume series in Arlington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers will try to continue their hot play when
they take on the Oakland Athletics this evening in the middle matchup of a
three-game set at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
In order for the Rangers to ext
White Sox, Mariners to battle again at Safeco >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the midst of a 10-game road trip, the Chicago White Sox
will try to keep the good times rolling when they battle the Seattle Mariners
tonight in the second installment of a three-game set at Safeco Field.
While the W
Great back nine gives Otto Italian Open lead >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hennie Otto recorded six back-nine birdies,
including three in a row to close his round, for a nine-under 63 on Saturday
and a four-shot lead after the third round of the Italian Open.
The South African
Report: Marlins sign Ramirez to long-term deal >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins have reportedly
agreed to a long-term contract with star shortstop Hanley Ramirez.
According to the Miami Herald, the deal will be for six years and worth up to
$70 million, bu
Yankees place P Albaladejo on DL with elbow injury >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees placed righthanded
pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with an
elbow injury.
The 25-year-old was pulled in the sixth inning of the team's 6-5 lo
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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