A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East for the second time in three seasons last year, winning 96 games, one better than the New York Yankees.
The departure of several players to free agency, most notably Carl Crawford (Red Sox), Carlos Pena (Cubs), Rafael Soriano (Yankees), Joaquin Benoit (Tigers) and Matt Garza (Cubs), will make this season challenging for the Rays.
Will the Yankees or Red Sox reclaim the top spot in 2011?
Hopefully some of you watched the first game this season between The Yankees and Red Sox. If you did, you saw an absolutely classic moment in the young career of Brett Gardner, and a horribly depressing moment for me as a baseball fan.
I actually like Gardner. He’s the kind of player every team could use more of. Great defensively, insane amounts of the oft-hailed DISRUPTIVE SPEED, plus the ability to actually get on base and use it (Rajai Davis and Willy Tavaras cry manly tears at this fact). He just didn’t have to steal home on Opening Day is all. What a jerk.
Until Gardner ruined all my fun, Mike Bordick was the last man to ever steal home on Opening Day.
MLB betting: Jays Try To Keep Up With Streaking Yankees
The Toronto Blue Jays will make the trip to New York this weekend for a four-game set. The Jays started off the season guns a blazing but have cooled off since. They find themselves in fourth place in the division with a minimal chance of winning it, and we just hit July.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have been the exact opposite. They are as strong as they’ve been in the win column this year and they’ll look to keep on building on it.
They’ll have a couple of hurdles this weekend as both Roy Halladay and Ricky Romero will pitch for the Jays.
MLB betting: Tigers, Twins Square Off Square Off At Metrodome
The Detroit Tigers hold a three-game lead in the American League Central but that lead could shrink to nothing by the end of the weekend.
The Tigers have slowed a little bit as the calendar has flipped to July. While Magglio Ordonez is trying to regain his power (went 150 at-bats in between home runs), the lineup seems to be in flux as manager Jim Leyland is moving batters up and down.
The Twins entire starting rotation is on fire right now from Kevin Slowey, to Nick Blackburn, to Scott Baker, which is more bad news for the Tigers bats. Look for the Twins to take advantage and gain some ground on the weekend. The sportsbook odds makers should have them favored throughout the weekend.
MLB Betting: Last-Place A’s Meet Last-Place Indians
A few years ago, sports picks on this series would handicapping a matchup of two playoff contenders. Not nowadays as both teams are a combined 64-93.
The A’s are usually a scrappy bunch but injuries have taken a big bite out of their production. They have put 12 players on the disabled list already this season and they simply don’t have the depth to compete when it gets that’s bad.
The season hasn’t been much brighter for the Indians who have lost five straight and are just 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Indians are having problems scoring runs, especially with Travis Hafner’s pop disappearing over the last two seasons.
The Indians are off a sweep at the hands of the White Sox and have been outscored 38-13 in their last five games. I’m betting management wasn’t expecting that with a lineup consisting of Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and the aforementioned Hafner.
