Struggling Tigers in need of deadline help
Baseball Betting Lines
07/22/2010 -
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast
approaching and the post-all-star break blues in full effect, the Detroit Tigers have some serious soul-searching to do before July 31st.
Heading into the Mid-Summer Classic, the Tigers were a half-game back in the
American League Central and locked into a dogfight with the surging Chicago White Sox, who had reeled off eight-straight wins leading up to the break.
But after dropping four straight to the lowly Cleveland Indians and
surrendering the next two games to the AL-West leading Texas Rangers and
falling 3.5 games back in the division, a crumbling economy wasn't the only
concern in Motown.
To make matters worse, a resurgent Brandon Inge, who hit .287 in June and
.326 in July, was sent to the disabled list with a broken hand that will keep
him sidelined for at least four weeks.
Inge's misfortune comes less than a month after flame-throwing reliever Joel
Zumaya endured a season-ending elbow injury - further crippling Detroit's
postseason aspirations.
If the Tigers hope to avoid a mid-season meltdown similar to years' past, it
might be necessary for owner Mike Ilitch to open his wallet and seek out
quality replacements for Detroit's fallen soldiers.
With an estimated $50 million coming off the payroll next season, the Tigers
are in prime position to acquire the necessary talent for a late-season playoff
push.
Detroit is in desperate need of help on the mound and in the middle infield.
Fortunately, there seem to be many names available who could be of major
interest to a fledgling franchise.
It has been speculated that the Tigers, along with the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox could have interest in AL home-run king
Jose Bautista.
The Jays slugger could fill the void at third base and bring some much-needed
pop to a floundering offense while helping insulate triple-crown threat Miguel
Cabrera.
Other names that have been mentioned as possible trade bait include Cleveland's
Jhonny Peralta, Baltimore's Ty Wigginton, Seattle's Jose Lopez and Chicago Cubs
shortstop Ryan Theriot.
Despite Inge's injury and the bottom-of-the-lineup struggles for the Tigers,
pitching help still reigns supreme.
With the loss of Zumaya and the lack of consistency throughout the starting
rotation, there are plenty of stop-gap solutions available for hire.
Arms such as Ted Lilly, Ben Sheets, Michael Wuertz, David Aardsma and Dan Haren
have all been mentioned as potential targets that could help balance out a
bullpen or rotation in need of a hired gun.
But after the failed experiments of Jarrod Washburn and Aubrey Huff a year ago,
one has to wonder if the Tigers will be fated to similar circumstances this
time around.
Regardless of history, it's evident the Tigers cannot rely on a sturdy, yet
inexperienced core of youngsters to bring them back to the postseason for the
first time since 2006.
Super rookies Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson have been a welcome addition
this season, but relying on two new starters along with third-base fill-in Don
Kelly could spell disaster for Detroit down the stretch.
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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