Tigers eye series win over White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

09/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers try to play spoiler this afternoon and go for a series win when they wrap up a four-game set against the playoff hopeful Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.

The White Sox won the first seven games of their 10-game road trip, but have lost the last two portions of this series to the Tigers, being outscored 14-2 in the process.

On Wednesday the Tigers got back to .500, as Jeremy Bonderman pitched eight brilliant innings and Alex Avila hit a key two-run double, helping Detroit to a 5-1 win.

Bonderman (8-9) turned in perhaps his best start of the season. He matched a season high in innings pitched and struck out eight, while allowing just one run on three hits and a walk.

"Obviously they're a great team, they're in the position to make the playoffs," Bonderman said. "We're just trying to go out and play good baseball day in and day out. Doesn't matter who you play."

Avila's double came in a four-run fourth inning, during which Brandon Inge hit a two-run single. Ryan Raburn added two hits and scored twice for the Tigers, who have won the last two games in the set after dropping Monday's opener.

John Danks (13-10) took the loss after allowing five runs -- two earned -- in six innings. He gave up eight hits and walked three.

Omar Vizquel homered to provide the lone run for the White Sox, who fell to 5 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading Twins after Minnesota beat Kansas City later Wednesday.

"We feel like we still have a chance," Danks said. "We're kind of shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit. The last couple nights we haven't been playing very well."

Following today's finale Chicago will start a nine-game homestand that will include a visit from the Twins.

Getting the call for the White Sox this afternoon will be right-hander Gavin Floyd, who has been terrific in his last three starts (2-1). Floyd earned a win on Saturday in Boston, holding the Red Sox to a runs and five hits in six innings to run his record to 10-11, while lowering his earned run average to 3.78.

Floyd, who has allowed just five runs in his last three starts spanning 19 2/3 innings, has been terrific in his career against the Tigers, posting a perfect 5-0 record to go along with a 3.20 ERA in 13 starts.

Detroit, meanwhile, will counter with Rick Porcello, who has won his last three starts and is 8-11 on the season with a 5.20 ERA. Porcello's latest win came on Saturday in Kansas City, as he limited the Royals to four runs and seven hits in seven innings.

While Floyd has had success against the Tigers, Porcello has had nothing but bad luck against his opponent, going 0-4 in five starts against Detroit with an 8.67 ERA.

Chicago is 5-3 in Detroit this season.

Wcasinoonnet Baseball Betting News


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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.