Come on now, be totally honest, the first you knew about Texas and Detroit being a tussle between division leaders was right now. Oh sure you might have known the Rangers were playing pretty good baseball and the Tigers were ahead of the curve, especially
2009-05-19
Come on now, be totally honest, the first you knew about Texas and Detroit being a tussle between division leaders was right now. Oh sure you might have known the Rangers were playing pretty good baseball and the Tigers were ahead of the curve, especially compared to last year, but both clubs in first place, nah you are just trying to act like you know everything about betting baseball. For tonight’s series opening contest, Texas is a road favorite and backed heavily by Sportsbook bettors thus far. Get the latest percentages on the BETTING TRENDS page.
The Rangers (23-14, +10.6 units) hit the road after sweeping division partners Seattle and Los Angeles of Anaheim in Arlington and motor into the DEtroit with seven-game winning streak. The fact that Texas is scoring 5.9 runs per game during the winning streak is not a surprise, but pitchers from T E X A S holding opposing team to 2.9 runs per game?! That’s usually about halfway thru any given contest, not nine innings by Rangers hurlers.
The following quote by Texas Marlon Byrd explains how screwed up the Rangers are being in first place.
"A first-place team, expectations are going to be up again. We're trying to gain some separation between ourselves and the teams in our division, so we have to go up there and keep doing what we've been doing, as far as pitching and defense." – Byrd said.
Texas players have words like pitching and defense in the vocabulary, what’s next; hitting is no longer the linchpin to Rangers success.
The Rangers are 13-3 this month and facts are facts, with Texas 10-2 after two straight games where they committed no errors this season. Manager Ron Washington’s club is nine games over .500 for the first time since June 1, 2005.
Detroit (20-16, +3.6) has participated in three consecutive sweeps, the first and last were positive and the one in the middle was not. The Tigers hitters mauled Oakland pitching over the weekend, touching home plate 34 times in banging out 40 base hits. Detroit is 11-5 at Comerica Park, including having won six of seven.
To this point, Dontrelle Willis’ (0-0, 7.71 ERA) contract extension is one of the worst in baseball history. The almost 10 million per year has Willis trailing Carl Pavano’s (when with the Yankees) deal, in which he averaged one win per year for his four year deal. The lefthander, since joining Detroit is 0-2 with a 9.10 ERA in nine appearances, having walked 37 while striking out 18. In his season debut Wednesday, he allowed four runs and walked two over 4 2/3 innings of a 14-10 loss at Minnesota.
“My mindset is just simplified, going out there and really just thinking about myself and not really caring about anybody else as far as what they think,” Willis told the Tigers’ official Web site.
The folks at Sportsbook.com aren’t buying Willis being back and have Texas as -127 money line favorites, with total of Ov11. The Rangers are 8-2 after allowing two or fewer runs in last game and will send Brandon McCarthy (3-1, 5.92) to the mound. McCarthy’s record appears a trifle fictitious, with is 1-1mark and 8.40 ERA on the road with opponents hitting .355 off him. Texas has lost six of his last seven starts as visitors.
At least McCarthy won’t have to face Magglio Ordonez, who is on bereavement list for first two games of series. Detroit has turned into notoriously slow starters with 9-25 Game 1 record and they are 1-5 as home underdogs of less than +150. The Tigers are 21-9 OVER at home in May games over the last three seasons.
Texas has already lost three times in MoTown this season and is working on eight games losing streak to the Tigers dating back to Sept. 2007. In this battle of division leaders, first pitch is set for 7:05 Eastern and will be available in local markets.
StatFox Power Line – Detroit -146
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