Where Did the Tiger Love Go?
By Mark Miller
SharkHandicapping.com
Where did the love from all the handicappers, sports bettors, and odds makers for the Detroit Tigers go last weekend? I was completely amazed that the best team in baseball, yes the Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball, opened up on Friday as +172 underdogs to the Minnesota Twins. As we know, the Tigers won that game 3 to 2.
Now to be fair, let’s set the stage for last weekend’s series between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins before we look at the possible future of these teams. The Twins came into this series the hottest team in baseball as they just took over second place by sweeping the Chicago White Sox in Chicago and pulled within 8 ½ games of the Tigers. Fans did the math and said “if they sweep the Tigers they will be within 5 ½”. The Twins were 34-9 since June 8th, had won six of their last seven games, twelve of their last thirteen games, and twenty-one of their last twenty-four home games including seven home wins in a row and thirteen wins in a row since the one loss. It’s no wonder the public was all over the Twins with those numbers.
Now here come the Tigers. It is not as if the Tigers were playing bad baseball leading up to the weekend series with the Twins. The Tigers entered the series 68-33, thirty-five (35) games above .500, going 12-5 in their last 17, winning 4 straight series following the all-star break (Royals, White Sox, A’s, and the Indians), and were 36-16 in road games. In addition, the Tigers were 30+ units SU and 24+ units on the run line. They won seven of nine against the Twins earlier this year, including a three-game sweep in April at home with a combined score of 33-1 over those nine games. Now if it’s my money, I am not betting against them.
In the series with the Twins this past weekend, the Tigers took the first two games and had a 3-0 lead into the 8th inning, before losing the last game of the 3-game series in the last two innings. They increased their lead over the White Sox to 8 ½ games and the lead over the Twins to 9 ½ games. They are now 36 games above .500 and more importantly, for those who were brave enough to bet them, won a buck seventy-two SU.
So, what’s next for the Tigers? Well the month of August will provide one of the toughest schedules seen in MLB in a long time as they play a four game series against Tampa Bay before returning home for a six game home stand against the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins. Back out on the road to play six games against the White Sox and the Red Sox. Back home for eight games where they host the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. For good measure, they take to the road and close out August playing in Cleveland and the Bronx.
By the time August is over the Tigers will have played 29 games in 31 days starting with a nine game stretch before getting a day off, then a brutal 17 game stretch before getting the day off to travel and close August at the Bronx Zoo.
I can tell you this with confidence, if the Tigers finish August and are still more then 30 games above .500 they should not only win the World Series but we will never see the Tigers at +172 in any game again this year, including their return to the Metro Dome.
Tuesday, the Tigers play game two of their four game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Tigers lost game one last night by the score of 7 – 3 but I believe that last night can be forgiven as a letdown was truly in order. In last nights game the Tigers out hit Tampa Bay 10-8 and left 9 runners on base. They also committed an unusual 4 errors. Look for the Tigers to rebound in game two.
MLB Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8/1/06 7:15 PM EST
Play: Tigers RL -1 ½ -135
The Tigers opened up overnight at -210 and we never play any baseball game at this price, however, we can take the Tigers on the run line -135. Tigers send J. Verlander to the mound and Verlander has pitched better then any other Tiger in the last month. He is 3 – 0 in his L3 starts with an ERA of 0.92. Overall, he is 13-4 with an ERA of 2.69. As far as pitching on the road, Verlander comes into this game 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA. Tampa Bay will counter with J. Howell who is seeing his first action in the majors this year, last year Howell pitched in 15 games with the KC Royals and ended the season 3-5 with an ERA of 6.19. The last time Howell faced the Tigers in September of 2005, he gave up 4 runs in 4 innings. Take the Tigers tonight on the run line.
SharkHandicapping.com
By Mark Miller
SharkHandicapping.com
Where did the love from all the handicappers, sports bettors, and odds makers for the Detroit Tigers go last weekend? I was completely amazed that the best team in baseball, yes the Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball, opened up on Friday as +172 underdogs to the Minnesota Twins. As we know, the Tigers won that game 3 to 2.
Now to be fair, let’s set the stage for last weekend’s series between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins before we look at the possible future of these teams. The Twins came into this series the hottest team in baseball as they just took over second place by sweeping the Chicago White Sox in Chicago and pulled within 8 ½ games of the Tigers. Fans did the math and said “if they sweep the Tigers they will be within 5 ½”. The Twins were 34-9 since June 8th, had won six of their last seven games, twelve of their last thirteen games, and twenty-one of their last twenty-four home games including seven home wins in a row and thirteen wins in a row since the one loss. It’s no wonder the public was all over the Twins with those numbers.
Now here come the Tigers. It is not as if the Tigers were playing bad baseball leading up to the weekend series with the Twins. The Tigers entered the series 68-33, thirty-five (35) games above .500, going 12-5 in their last 17, winning 4 straight series following the all-star break (Royals, White Sox, A’s, and the Indians), and were 36-16 in road games. In addition, the Tigers were 30+ units SU and 24+ units on the run line. They won seven of nine against the Twins earlier this year, including a three-game sweep in April at home with a combined score of 33-1 over those nine games. Now if it’s my money, I am not betting against them.
In the series with the Twins this past weekend, the Tigers took the first two games and had a 3-0 lead into the 8th inning, before losing the last game of the 3-game series in the last two innings. They increased their lead over the White Sox to 8 ½ games and the lead over the Twins to 9 ½ games. They are now 36 games above .500 and more importantly, for those who were brave enough to bet them, won a buck seventy-two SU.
So, what’s next for the Tigers? Well the month of August will provide one of the toughest schedules seen in MLB in a long time as they play a four game series against Tampa Bay before returning home for a six game home stand against the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins. Back out on the road to play six games against the White Sox and the Red Sox. Back home for eight games where they host the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. For good measure, they take to the road and close out August playing in Cleveland and the Bronx.
By the time August is over the Tigers will have played 29 games in 31 days starting with a nine game stretch before getting a day off, then a brutal 17 game stretch before getting the day off to travel and close August at the Bronx Zoo.
I can tell you this with confidence, if the Tigers finish August and are still more then 30 games above .500 they should not only win the World Series but we will never see the Tigers at +172 in any game again this year, including their return to the Metro Dome.
Tuesday, the Tigers play game two of their four game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Tigers lost game one last night by the score of 7 – 3 but I believe that last night can be forgiven as a letdown was truly in order. In last nights game the Tigers out hit Tampa Bay 10-8 and left 9 runners on base. They also committed an unusual 4 errors. Look for the Tigers to rebound in game two.
MLB Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8/1/06 7:15 PM EST
Play: Tigers RL -1 ½ -135
The Tigers opened up overnight at -210 and we never play any baseball game at this price, however, we can take the Tigers on the run line -135. Tigers send J. Verlander to the mound and Verlander has pitched better then any other Tiger in the last month. He is 3 – 0 in his L3 starts with an ERA of 0.92. Overall, he is 13-4 with an ERA of 2.69. As far as pitching on the road, Verlander comes into this game 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA. Tampa Bay will counter with J. Howell who is seeing his first action in the majors this year, last year Howell pitched in 15 games with the KC Royals and ended the season 3-5 with an ERA of 6.19. The last time Howell faced the Tigers in September of 2005, he gave up 4 runs in 4 innings. Take the Tigers tonight on the run line.
SharkHandicapping.com
