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Cleveland Indians @ Minnesota Twins u8.0
Sun Jul 6 '08 2:10p
The Cleveland Indians will try to halt a 7 game losing streak, as they send stopper Cliff Lee (11-1,2,22 ERA) to hill against the Minnesota Twins. Lee has been in out standing from this season, and the last time he faced this same Twins squad, back in April, he dominated them allowing just two hits in eight innings of work for a easy 4-0 victory at the Metrodome. The all star southpaw is 6-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 13 career starts against Minnesota. Im expecting , another out standing effort again today.
Meanwhile, his pitching opponent from the Twins , Glen Perkins (4-2,4.31 ERA) is also in impressive form, and has not lost since late May. The Twinkie hurler , rarely makes mistakes, and should once again be tough on a Cleveland batting order that has hits lefties like himself, for a lowly .230 BA this season. If for some reason he falters he is backed by a bullpen that owns a minuscule 2.01 ERA in home tilts.
I know the Twins bats have been lighting up just about everybody they have faced, of late, but Cliff Lee is in a league by himself right now, and is a dangerous opponent for the best of hitters. I am also aware of how inconsistent, the Tribes bats have been this season,and their lack of run support they have supplied their pitching staff. Considering these factors, backing the under makes for a viable wagering opportunity.
Final notes & Key Trends: Under is 5-1 in Indians last 6 games vs. a left-handed starter. Under is 5-0 in Twins last 5 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15 .
Play under
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Free Picks from other expert handicappers
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Minnesota Twins (110)
Sun Jul 6 '08 2:10p
The Minnesota Twins could seemingly do no wrong right now, and they are almost an automatic play as a home underdog vs. the Cleveland Indians today, even going up against Cliff Lee.
The Twins rallied from a early deficit to beat the Indians 9-6 here last night, making them 18-4 in their last 22 games overall and 13-3 in their last 16 at home. Remarkably, they are now third in the American League in runs scored despite the fact that they do not hot home runs like the top two scoring teams, the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.
Minnesota starter Glen Perkins may have a high 4.31 ERA overall, but he has pitched very well lately, allowing three runs or less in five straight starts and in eight of his last 10 outings. He should be able to take advantage of a Cleveland lineup that is hitting a terrible .212 vs. left-handed pitching on the road for the entire season and has never faced him before.
Now Lee is pitching as good as his 11-1 record, as he has a 2.26 ERA and 1.03 WHIP for the season and a 1.16 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his last three starts. The problem here though is that he does not figure to get much run support and he is facing a scorching Minnesota lineup that is averaging 6.40 runs per game the last 10 games.
Finally, the Twins clearly have the superior bullpen here, as they rank ninth in the majors with a 3.54 pen ERA while the Indians rank dead last at 5.16!
MLB Free Pick: Twins +110
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Toronto Blue Jays (120)
Sun Jul 6 '08 3:35p
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels as underdogs here last night with ace Roy Halladay on the hill, and we look for the Jays to post their second straight upset at an even better price today.
Jesse Litsch has done a fine job in 12 starts for Toronto this season, going 8-4 with a very nice 3.69 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 102.1 innings. Litsch has allowed exactly one earned run in each of his last two starts, and he has seven Quality Starts in his last 10 outings. He also posted a Quality Start in his only career start vs. the Angels last season, allowing two earned runs on six hits in 6.1 innings, and the Angels offense was much stronger then than it is right now.
Now John Garland is also have a fine year for the Halos, but his decent 3.99 ERA and bad 1.44 WHIP actually pale when compared to Litsch this season. Oddly, Garland actually has worse numbers here at home, where he is 2-4 with a generous 4.70 ERA and 1.57 WHIP.
In fact, that performance by Garland actually mirrors the Angels as a team, as they are a mediocre 25-20 here at home compared to an outstanding 27-15 on the road.
MLB Free Pick: Blue Jays +120
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