Surging Tigers try to extend lead over slumping Twins

Baseball Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers continue to lead the American League Central Division and will attempt to increase their advantage over the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Comerica Park.

Nick Blackburn will be on the bump for Minnesota today with hopes of improving his 7-6 overall record and 6.00 ERA. Blackburn has allowed 127 hits in 93 innings, and has only struck out 33 batters. Against Tampa Bay on Sunday, he permitted four earned runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings en route to defeat.

The Minnesota righty is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA this season against Detroit, however, an obvious reason for confidence heading into today's tilt. Blackburn is 4-3 lifetime versus the Tigers.

Detroit will hand the ball to Jeremy Bonderman. Having yet to go the distance through 16 starts, Bonderman is 4-6 with a 4.81 ERA. He has struggled mightily in his last three outings, yielding 15 runs on 25 hits in 16 1/3 innings. On Monday, the righty only lasted five innings against Seattle and gave up seven earned runs.

Bonderman is 1-0 this season against Minnesota, but he is just 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA lifetime versus the Twins.

On Friday, Magglio Ordonez had three hits and drove in three runs in Detroit's 7-3 victory in the opener of this crucial three-game intradivision set.

Carlos Guillen had two hits and drove in two runs, while Miguel Cabrera singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 17 games for Detroit, which maintained its hold on the top spot in the AL Central. The Tigers lead second-place Chicago by a half-game, with the Twins now three off the pace in third.

Justin Verlander (11-5) made it through 5 1/3 innings to grab the win after being charged with a pair of runs on eight hits. The righty walked two and struck out seven for the Tigers, who have won four straight and six of seven.

Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano (6-7) was banged up to the tune of seven runs allowed on six hits, and walked two and hit a pair of batters over just 1 2/3 innings. It was his shortest effort of the year, and the Twins fell for a third consecutive game and for a fifth time in six tries.

"We came out and got some runs off a real good pitcher, it's not easy to do off [Liriano] -- he's really good," said Tigers' skipper Jim Leyland. "Verlander was sluggish and we had to use more pitchers than I would have liked to use in a game where we got that many runs to start. We didn't add on when we had a couple chances to do so."

Twins' first baseman Justin Morneau was not available for Friday's game, as he continues to suffer from concussion-like symptoms after getting accidentally kneed in the head by Toronto's John McDonald on Wednesday. Manager Ron Gardenhire said if Morneau does not play over the weekend, it is likely that he would not travel to Anaheim for the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Minnesota has won six of its 10 matchups with the Tigers this season despite Friday's defeat.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

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