Twins Take Aim at Sweeping White Sox
Chicago will send veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle to the hill in Minnesota today as the White Sox try to stave off a sweep at the hands of the Twins who are 150 betting favorites.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. That's the sound haunting the Chicago White Sox right now. After today the noise they hear might be glug-glug-glug as their season – and one of my MLB futures bets – goes down the drain.
The Minnesota Twins are a game away from sweeping the White Sox and building a six-game lead in the AL Central. Certainly not an insurmountable lead with 6½ weeks left in the season, given how the Pale Hose are performing right now.
According to the MLB oddsmakers, Minnesota will complete the sweep. The Twins opened as 145-150 favorites in Thursday's series finale. Bookmaker.com even started Minnesota higher at minus 160, but also had the best price on White Sox backers with Chicago plus 140. The total is 7½.
Jim Thome popped a 10th-inning homer to give Minnesota the win in Tuesday's series opener and crush the comeback effort by his former club. Chicago rallied from a 4-0 hole in the opening inning to force extra frames as the 110 underdog.
Game 2 saw Thome once again part of the Twins victory with his walk following a Michael Cuddyer double to lead off the sixth helping to ignite the deciding three-run inning in Minnesota's 7-6 win. The Twins were 145 favorites for the contest, moving them to 10-4 over Chicago this season and giving the 'over' a 5-3 edge in the games played at Target Field.
Thursday's pitching matchup is a repeat of a July 17 battle between Chicago's Mark Buehrle (14-10, 4.05) and Minnesota's Carl Pavano (16-8, 3.27) on this very same Minneapolis diamond. Pavano won then as 140-145 chalk. Neither bullpen was used in the game.
Pavano tossed a complete-game, seven-hitter with six Ks to record what was then his 11th win of the season. He's 4-1 since then in five starts, and is 2-0 against Chicago this season having beaten the White Sox on their turf in mid-May.
Buehrle worked eight in the loss to the Twins on July 17, allowing all three Twins runs before getting an out in the second inning. This will be his third go at the Minnesota lineup this season, and he's worked eight frames each of the first two, holding the Twins to seven runs in the 16 combined innings.
Bruce Dreckman is slated to take the plate for this one, and the Iowa native brings only one decent trend to speak of into the series finale. He's 12-8-2 'under' on the campaign, and 4-0 to the low side of the MLB odds when the total is eight or less.
There is a very good chance of rain in Minneapolis with forecasters pushing a 60 percent line for Thursday evening. The two teams meet just once more this season, and that series in is Chicago mid-September. There's probably an off day they share somewhere in there, but keep the possible rain in mind. The umpire crew will be trying to at least get this one through the top of the fifth. Given how this division has played out recently, a rainout could set up at make-up date after the last regular season Sunday (Oct. 3).
Minnesota will remain at home for the weekend with the Angels coming to town for three. The White Sox will continue their road trip with a weekend set in Kansas City.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
Chicago will send veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle to the hill in Minnesota today as the White Sox try to stave off a sweep at the hands of the Twins who are 150 betting favorites.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. That's the sound haunting the Chicago White Sox right now. After today the noise they hear might be glug-glug-glug as their season – and one of my MLB futures bets – goes down the drain.
The Minnesota Twins are a game away from sweeping the White Sox and building a six-game lead in the AL Central. Certainly not an insurmountable lead with 6½ weeks left in the season, given how the Pale Hose are performing right now.
According to the MLB oddsmakers, Minnesota will complete the sweep. The Twins opened as 145-150 favorites in Thursday's series finale. Bookmaker.com even started Minnesota higher at minus 160, but also had the best price on White Sox backers with Chicago plus 140. The total is 7½.
Jim Thome popped a 10th-inning homer to give Minnesota the win in Tuesday's series opener and crush the comeback effort by his former club. Chicago rallied from a 4-0 hole in the opening inning to force extra frames as the 110 underdog.
Game 2 saw Thome once again part of the Twins victory with his walk following a Michael Cuddyer double to lead off the sixth helping to ignite the deciding three-run inning in Minnesota's 7-6 win. The Twins were 145 favorites for the contest, moving them to 10-4 over Chicago this season and giving the 'over' a 5-3 edge in the games played at Target Field.
Thursday's pitching matchup is a repeat of a July 17 battle between Chicago's Mark Buehrle (14-10, 4.05) and Minnesota's Carl Pavano (16-8, 3.27) on this very same Minneapolis diamond. Pavano won then as 140-145 chalk. Neither bullpen was used in the game.
Pavano tossed a complete-game, seven-hitter with six Ks to record what was then his 11th win of the season. He's 4-1 since then in five starts, and is 2-0 against Chicago this season having beaten the White Sox on their turf in mid-May.
Buehrle worked eight in the loss to the Twins on July 17, allowing all three Twins runs before getting an out in the second inning. This will be his third go at the Minnesota lineup this season, and he's worked eight frames each of the first two, holding the Twins to seven runs in the 16 combined innings.
Bruce Dreckman is slated to take the plate for this one, and the Iowa native brings only one decent trend to speak of into the series finale. He's 12-8-2 'under' on the campaign, and 4-0 to the low side of the MLB odds when the total is eight or less.
There is a very good chance of rain in Minneapolis with forecasters pushing a 60 percent line for Thursday evening. The two teams meet just once more this season, and that series in is Chicago mid-September. There's probably an off day they share somewhere in there, but keep the possible rain in mind. The umpire crew will be trying to at least get this one through the top of the fifth. Given how this division has played out recently, a rainout could set up at make-up date after the last regular season Sunday (Oct. 3).
Minnesota will remain at home for the weekend with the Angels coming to town for three. The White Sox will continue their road trip with a weekend set in Kansas City.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
