As the dog days of summer wear on, all six MLB division races continue to remain too close to call. Every game from here on in could ultimately have an impact on the final playoff picture in both leagues.
All of the Majors are in the books but that doesn’t mean that the Golf stops! This week the pros are in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Sedgefield Country Club for the Wyndham Championship. Sedgefield is known as one of the easier stops on TOUR – quite a difference from last week.
The Washington Nationals showed why they are the best team in baseball, erupting for 14 runs on 21 hits against the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
Now the two teams will close out the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park.
The Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees are battling back and forth for the best record in the American League. Both of these are stacked offensively, and their pitching staffs are better than most realize.
2012-13 Football Previews – Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) – North Carolina Tar Heels
After NCAA investigations (gosh, aren’t we getting used to hearing that phrase) cost former coach Butch Davis his job in 2011, defensive co-ordinator Everett Withers took over on an interim basis; he was just keeping the seat warm.
The MLB divisional and wildcard races continue to grind their way through the dog days of summer as contending teams continue to jockey for position for a potential spot in the postseason.
After carefully analyzing all the pitching matchups for Tuesday’s slate of games, we have uncovered a two-team parlay that should help get your week off to a profitable start.
Game 1: Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles
Money Line: Boston +115 Baltimore -125
Total Line: 8.5
Boston will kick-off this three-game series against its AL East rivals with Josh Beckett on the mound. The right-hander got bounced around by Texas his last time out; giving-up eight runs on eight hits in just five innings of work. He is 5-9 overall with an ERA of 4.97. Against the Orioles he is 7-6 with a 4.12 ERA.
Baltimore will go with Wei-Yin Chen as its starter for Tuesday night. He was also roughed-up in his last outing and allowed seven runs on nine hits in a loss to Kansas City.
The left-hander is 10-7 this season with a 3.79 ERA. The rookie has pitched 12 innings against Boston and has an ERA of 3.00.
The Red Sox are 1-6 in Beckett’s last seven starts against the Orioles and 0-4 in his last four starts in Baltimore.
Bank on that streak reaching five as Boston continues to struggle to win at Camden Yards with Beckett on the mound. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Game 2: Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees
Money Line: Texas +125 New York -140
Run Line: 9
The Rangers will try and earn a much needed win on the road with Matt Harrison getting the start. The left-hander is 13-6 this season with a 3.31 ERA. He gave-up five runs in just 4 2/3 innings the last time he faced the Yankees and is 2-2 against them overall with a 4.76 ERA.
New York will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound on Tuesday. He continues to be one of the most consistent pitchers in New York’s rotation down the stretch with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts. Overall, the right-hander is 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA.
He is 0-2 against the Rangers with an ERA of 4.50.
Texas is 3-8 in its last 11 games against the Yankees and 0-5 in its last six road games against New York.
With Kuroda on the mound, it will be tough to reverse these trends considering that New York is 7-2 in his last nine starts and 5-0 in his last five starts against a team with a winning record. Stick with the Yankees to wrap-up the back-end of this parlay with the win.
These two clubs opened this four-game set on Monday at Yankee Stadium, with Texas holding a half-game lead over New York for best record in the American League
Rangers star Josh Hamilton leads the majors with 32 homers and 99 RBIs, and he will look to help the Rangers’ rediscovered offense reverse the trend of losing in the Big Apple.
Arkansas State won the Sun Belt Conference last season. Hugh Freeze did a brilliant job in his first season as the Red Wolves coach, but Freeze left Jonesboro in the offseason to take over the top job at Ole Miss.
Florida International went 1-26 during a stretch between 2006 and 2008. That’s why it is so impressive that Mario Cristobal has taken this team to the place it is right now. FIU is one of the best in the Sun Belt. The Golden Panthers knocked off Louisville and UCF last year en route to a solid 8-5 year.
Louisiana Lafayette went 3-9 in 2010, and the team seemed destined for another disappointing year in 2011. Mark Hudspeth took over and changed the program right away. The Ragin’ Cajuns went 9-4 and picked up a bowl victory in his first year with the team.
The Troy Trojans are used to being at the top of the Sun Belt and being one of the best small-conference teams in the nation. After many successful years, the Trojans finished last year at a miserable 3-9. They lost seven of their last eight games.
This could be a preview of a playoff matchup in a couple months. The Nationals have the best record in baseball, but the Giants are charging hard with their improved lineup and strong pitching staff.
Both the Rangers and Yankees have big cushions in their respective divisions and this match up may be a preview of a playoff series. The Yankees have a 5 game lead over the Rays in the AL East and the Rangers have a 6.5 game lead over the A’s.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets begin their 2012 NFL Preseason as they face off on Friday at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans face off on Saturday at CeturyLink Field in Seattle, as both teams begin their 2012 NFL Preseason schedule.
Like most of the preseason games this year and any other, this one is very tough to find any real advantage for either team, because you just don’t know who’s going to be on the field.
Don’t get me wrong – I think Edgar is a tough guy but some feel that he may not even deserve this rematch. I for one feel that Henderson beat him soundly in the first fight – decisively!
