2 Oct 2009

Baseball Preview: Twins and Tigers Locked In Epic Battle

As we enter the last weekend of the regular MLB season, the play-off picture is nearly complete. However, Nick Shiambouros is still hunting down the value in the baseball odds.

The feisty Minnesota Twins managed to extend their season with a 8-3 defeat over AL Central division rivals the Detroit Tigers on Thursday evening. The Twins are two games behind Detroit with three games left in this epic battle for the post-season.

Minnesota host the Kansas City Royals in a three game series to wrap up the season and Detroit host the Chicago White Sox. The Twins face a tall order to catch Detroit but at this point they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Tonight, rookie Jeff Manship will be on the hill for the Twins in this must win game. This young man has just one completed start this year but he is talented and has a decent range of pitches. If the Twins can get four or five quality innings out of him they have a fighting chance of winning the game.

The Kansas City Royals start Lenny DiNardo who has a record of 0-2 and an ERA of 7.52. DiNardo has given up plenty of runs in his last couple of starts and could be vulnerable early. In this all important game, I'll be putting my money on Minnesota.

The Detroit Tigers start Edwin Jackson on Friday against Chicago. Jackson has a solid record of 13-8 with a very respectable ERA of 3.36. The Chicago White Sox have nothing left to play for but I would not count them out of this game.

Chicago start the talented Jake Peavy who was signed earlier this year from San Diego. Peavy is a quality pitcher who has very good accuracy and has a great recent record against Detroit. This will be his final start of the year and he will want to end it on a positive note for his new team.

I think Chicago have a fair chance to upset Detroit in this one and I will be backing them for the victory.

Whatever happens, the Minnesota Twins have had a remarkable year and they can be proud of what they have achieved. This secondary franchise does not have the resources that other teams possess and they have a modest payroll. To put this in context, the New York Yankees spend close to four times on wages compared to the Twins.

The regular season ends on Sunday and the play-offs begin on Wednesday October 7. Eight teams will decide who will be crowned world champions. Below is a list of the teams that will play for the World Series.

American League: New York,Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit or Minnesota
National League: Philadelphia, St Louis, Los Angeles, Colorado


Recommended Bets:

Friday: back Chicago
Friday: back Minnesota

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