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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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Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC will go for their third
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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
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Youzhny ousted in Gstaad quarters >>
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Mikhail Youzhny was a
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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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Jackson was in his first year with Arizona after being
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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