1. #1
    SBRforum Staff
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    Texas(Padilla) @ Tampa Bay (Kazmir)

    By: Sonny Lafouchi
    http://www.nsawins.com
    8/22/2006 9:01:51 AM



    Today the National Sports Advisors look for Texas and Tampa Bay to score under 8.5 runs tonight.

    Vicente Padilla (12-7, 4.39 ERA) returns for his first start for Texas since serving a five-game suspension. Padilla was suspended for beaning two batters and nearly hitting a third after being warned last Tuesday.

    The right-hander surrendered six runs on eight hits through 3 2-3 innings of Texas' 9-7 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels before being tossed out of the game.

    He won his two previous starts before last Tuesday's start, giving up just three runs and one walk while striking out 11 in 14 innings. Padilla is 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last five road starts, allowing just six walks compared to 25 strikeouts.

    Scott Kazmir (10-8, 3.31) toes the slab tonight for Tampa Bay. The 22-year-old southpaw pitched five scoreless innings against Toronto on Thursday, giving up just two hits and three walks while striking out 10, but didn't register a decision in the Devil Rays'
    6-2 loss.

    Kazmir has a 3.38 ERA over his last five starts, but has gone 0-3 as the Devil Rays have scored a total of eight runs in those outings. He is 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 10 starts at home this season, striking out 85 and limiting opponents to a .193 batting average. In two career starts against the Rangers, Kazmir is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

    The bottom line is both teams are running quality pitchers out to the hill tonight and we expect them both to pitch well.

    Play the UNDER.

  2. #2
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    Rangers Shine Tonight

    By: Mike Rose
    http://who2beton.com

    Facing a must-win game, look for the Vincente Padilla and the Rangers to best Scott Kazmir and the Devil Rays tonight in Tampa.

    Vicente Padilla has been one of the better stories of the Rangers pitching staff this season. He's 2-0 in his last three starts, and the Rangers have won four of his last five road starts.

    He's never faced Tampa before in his career, so the Rays bats might have trouble catching on to him at first. Hopefully Texas will grabbed themselves a lead before they do.

    Texas is going up against the D-Rays best pitcher tonight in Scott Kazmir. However, Kazmir's not 100% healthy and has only gone five innings in each of his two starts since coming off the DL. He can be had, and the Ranger bats should get the best of him this evening.

    This Rangers club is starting to become an enigma that's becoming almost impossible to stomach. Prior to last night's game, they had gone into Detroit, the best team in the big leagues, and took three of four. They followed that peach of a series up with a clunker last night in Tampa of all places and lost by a 4-3 count. The loss dropped them 6.5 games in back of the AL west division leading A's, and nine games back of the AL Wild Card leading White Sox. They simply can't lose these types of games anymore for the rest of the season.

    Either way, this is a game the Rangers must have. In fact, they better sweep the remaining three games of this series before getting ready to do battle with the A's over the weekend.

    Play: Rangers -110

  3. #3
    Illusion
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    Both pitchers have been real solid and the under should cash.

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