Twins' Liriano puts unbeaten streak on line vs. Tigers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing at Target Field has usually translated into success for the Minnesota Twins. And when Francisco Liriano has taken the mound, the current American League Central leaders have been nearly invincible as of late.

Liriano aims for a seventh consecutive winning decision and improve upon his team's already-strong home record when the Twins continue a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers this evening.

Since the All-Star break, Liriano has compiled a 6-0 record along with an excellent 2.47 earned run average over seven starts and has surrendered two runs or fewer in six of those outings. The standout lefty hasn't lost since a forgettable performance against the Tigers in Detroit on July 9, when he was battered for seven runs and six hits in only 1 2/3 innings of work.

Liriano also was dealt a defeat by the Tigers at Target Field back on June 28, a game in which he permitted six runs in six innings. That was one of only three losses for the native Dominican in Minneapolis this season, and he's gone 3-0 in five home starts that followed that poor showing.

The 26-year-old, who's 6-3 with a 2.72 ERA over 12 Target Field assignments, continued his recent winning ways by holding AL West-leading Texas to two runs and five hits over seven sharp innings this past Thursday in Arlington.

In 14 career appearances (10 starts) against Detroit, Liriano is 4-3 with a 5.24 ERA.

He'll be attempting to pitch the Twins to victory for the 13th time in their last 15 home tilts this evening. Minnesota moved to 41-22 in its first-year ballpark with a 4-3 triumph over the Tigers in Tuesday's opener of this set, with the defending division champions rallying from a early 3-0 deficit to prevail.

The Twins had been shut out until Michael Cuddyer delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning and later scored on Danny Valencia's ground- rule double that cut the lead to 3-2. Minnesota then scored twice in the seventh to move in front, taking advantage of an off night from the Detroit bullpen.

Minnesota put two men on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh when Tigers reliever Phil Coke (7-4) walked J.J. Hardy and later hit Joe Mauer with a pitch. Ryan Perry then stepped in and drilled Jason Kubel in the left wrist to load the bases before walking Cuddyer to force home the tying run. Delmon Young followed with a single that plated Mauer for a 4-3 lead.

Randy Flores and Jesse Crain teamed up to hold the Tigers scoreless in the eighth before substitute closer Matt Capps protected the one-run edge in the ninth to record the save.

Capps was filling in for the recently-acquired Brian Fuentes after the ex- Angel incurred a stiff back while warming up during the game. Both he and Kubel are expected to sit out tonight's test due to their injuries, while second baseman Orlando Hudson could also miss the game because of a sprained right ankle that's bothered him over the past few days.

Tuesday's triumph kept the Twins four games ahead of second-place Chicago in the AL Central standings after the White Sox defeated Cleveland last night.

The Tigers have now dropped three of their last four and continue to struggle as the visitor in this series. Detroit is now a woeful 3-14 in Minneapolis since the start of the 2009 campaign and have lost six of seven meetings with the Twins on the road this season.

Minnesota has won eight of 13 overall matchups between the clubs in 2010 as well.

Max Scherzer can give Detroit a good chance of ending those struggles if he continues to pitch like he has over the past few weeks. The young right-hander enters tonight's clash having won his last three starts and sports a stellar 1.31 ERA over his last six games, lasting at least six innings and permitting two runs or less on each of those occasions.

Scherzer was in top form Thursday in Toronto, where he limited the Blue Jays to one run and struck out eight over eight outstanding innings to earn his 10th win of the season. Five days earlier, the offseason acquisition gave up just two runs -- one earned -- and fanned eight Cleveland hitters to beat the Indians on August 21.

The former Arizona first-round draft choice has not fared well in two previous encounters with the Twins this season, however. Scherzer allowed six runs and 10 hits -- two of which were homers -- before exiting after only 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on April 28, and was blasted for 10 runs in 4 1/3 frames during a loss at Target Field on May 3.

Hankoooki Baseball Betting News

<< New FCS head coaches ready for debuts
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventeen of the 19 new head coaches at FCS schools will make their debuts during the first week of games, including two facing off against each other on the first night of action Thursday. Dale Carlson wi

<< Iowa C Koeppel to miss opener after crash
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iowa senior center Josh Koeppel will miss Saturday's season opener against Eastern Illinois due to injuries sustained in a crash on his moped. The Daily Iowan reported that Koeppel was hit head-on by

<< Alabama A&M linebacker to sit two games
Normal, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA ruled that Alabama A&M's top returning tackler Afu Okosun must sit out the season's first two games because he played in one game in 2006 before he was redshirted that season. Alabama A&M coach

<< White Sox shoot for sweep of Indians; Manny expected to start
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The closest White Sox newcomer Manny Ramirez came to the field last night in Cleveland was the on-deck circle. Ramirez is expected to be the designated hitter in today's finale of a three-game series against the Indians at Pr

<< Cardinals aim to stop skid, avoid sweep against Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals are playing themselves out of postseason contention, but at least they'll be able to conclude a horrendous road trip today in the finale of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid

Pirates shoot for another series win over Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be headed towards a fourth straight last-place finish in the National League Central, but you wouldn't know it given how they handled the Chicago Cubs this year. The Pirates have already wo

Big-hitting Blue Jays close out set at Tampa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays displayed their trademark power in knocking off the playoff-hopeful Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, but the heavy- hitting club figures to face a more stern challenge in tonight's finale of this t

Padres try to snap season-high skid in finale with D-Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mired in a season-high losing streak of six straight games, the San Diego Padres will try save some face tonight in the finale of a three- game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Padres haven't sco

Howard, Phillies seek to heat up versus Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - September is the time of year for temperatures to drop, but for Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard it's his month to start heating up. Howard and the Phillies will shoot for back-to-back winning series Wednesday afternoon in

Boston hopes Lester can remain perfect against O's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox may not have had the success they've enjoyed in the past against the Baltimore Orioles this season, but Jon Lester has certainly been able to maintain his dominance over the course of this series.

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.