At 7:05pm our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Florida Marlins. It's coming down to crunch time for the Twins. With two very good teams above them in their division (the Tigers and Indians), the only hope that Minnesota has of making the playoffs is if they can rally and step it up a notch and hope that one of those other teams falters. And even then it's no guarantee that they will still be playing come October. They seem to be moving in the right direction as most of their key players, like Mauer and Hunter are now healthy again, and their pitching has been pretty consistent as well. The Twins have won seven of their last ten games and they are absolutely tearing it up in interleague play with an overall record of 23-7 in their last 30 games against National League opponents. Boof Bonser gets the call tonight for the Twins and if not for a horendous start against the Angels on June 4, he has done very little wrong this season. Even with that dreadful outing, the Twins have still won six of Bonser's last eight starts. The Marlins will counter with young lefty Scott Olsen, who has only had one decent start in his last five appearances. The Marlins are one of those rare teams who have a better road record (21-19) than home (14-19). Take Minny.
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the SF Giants over New York. The Yankees were swept by the Rockies and now find themselves a slight favorite at San Francisco. I can't see it, especially with Matt Cain on the hill for SF against lefty Kei Igawa. The Giants are 136-68 their last 204 at home vs. southpaws, and Igawa has a horrid 7.63 ERA this season. The wrong team is favored here. Take San Francisco.
At 7:35pm our selection is on the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves 'over' the total. The mark of really good teams is when they can continue winning even through numerous injuries and then be able to shuffle players around enough to keep themselves in contention up to the playoffs. This has been the mark of the Detroit Tigers so far in 2007. Despite key injuries to players like Joel Zumaya (possibly the best setup man in baseball), Nate Robertson (currently on rehab assignment with a tired arm), and one of last year's heroes down the stretch, veteran lefthander Kenny Rogers, the Tigers still have an excellent record of 42-29 almost halfway through the season, not to mention the fact that they once again have one of the best road records in baseball. Rogers makes his return from the DL tonight in what is his first start since the 2006 World Series, and the Tigers have certainly not picked a soft spot for him as he has to go against the Braves and John Smoltz. Expect Rogers, a finesse pitcher, who generally wins by outsmarting his opponents, not overpowering them, to be a little bit rusty. But not to worry, the Tiger bats have been red hot on this road trip, averaging an amazing nine runs per game in the last six games, which have all been away from home. Both pitching squads are very banged up at the moment and Atlanta's park has been very hitter-friendly lately. The over is 10-1-2 in Detroit's last 13 road games. Take the 'over'. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the SF Giants over New York. The Yankees were swept by the Rockies and now find themselves a slight favorite at San Francisco. I can't see it, especially with Matt Cain on the hill for SF against lefty Kei Igawa. The Giants are 136-68 their last 204 at home vs. southpaws, and Igawa has a horrid 7.63 ERA this season. The wrong team is favored here. Take San Francisco.
At 7:35pm our selection is on the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves 'over' the total. The mark of really good teams is when they can continue winning even through numerous injuries and then be able to shuffle players around enough to keep themselves in contention up to the playoffs. This has been the mark of the Detroit Tigers so far in 2007. Despite key injuries to players like Joel Zumaya (possibly the best setup man in baseball), Nate Robertson (currently on rehab assignment with a tired arm), and one of last year's heroes down the stretch, veteran lefthander Kenny Rogers, the Tigers still have an excellent record of 42-29 almost halfway through the season, not to mention the fact that they once again have one of the best road records in baseball. Rogers makes his return from the DL tonight in what is his first start since the 2006 World Series, and the Tigers have certainly not picked a soft spot for him as he has to go against the Braves and John Smoltz. Expect Rogers, a finesse pitcher, who generally wins by outsmarting his opponents, not overpowering them, to be a little bit rusty. But not to worry, the Tiger bats have been red hot on this road trip, averaging an amazing nine runs per game in the last six games, which have all been away from home. Both pitching squads are very banged up at the moment and Atlanta's park has been very hitter-friendly lately. The over is 10-1-2 in Detroit's last 13 road games. Take the 'over'. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
