AL Central: Twins beginning to separate from the pack

Baseball Betting Lines

08/20/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You'll have to forgive the Minnesota Twins if they're not quite sure how to handle themselves in the role of frontrunner.

Typically around this time of year, the Twins are the ones fighting for their playoff lives. They are usually the ones doing the chasing, instead of the ones being chased.

But thanks to a seven-game win streak, the Twins have emerged from the pack and assumed control of the American League Central Division. Minnesota just took two of three from) its closest division rivals, the Chicago White Sox. Jim Thome provided a thrilling walk-off homer in the 10th inning of Tuesday's series opener. The very next night, the Twins came back again to claim a 7-6 victory and take a five-game lead in the AL Central, their largest lead this late in the season since 2004.

However, their win streak was stopped with Thursday's 11-0 blowout loss in the series finale. Still, the Twins have gone 10-5 against Chicago on the year, marking their most wins against any opponent. And a four-game division lead in late-August is nothing to sneeze at.

There are several key storylines. For example, Matt Capps has filled in at closer better than anyone could have anticipated. Since being traded to the Twins on July 30th, Capps has given up only two runs in 10 innings for a 1.80 ERA and four saves.

But more importantly, Joe Mauer is back to hitting everything in his path. The reigning AL MVP spent the first month of the season on the disabled list while rehabbing a lower back injury, but he has gotten hotter as the season has progressed. Entering Thursday's series finale, Mauer was hitting a ridiculous .442 with 15 doubles and 30 RBI in 28 games since the All-Star break.

He once again came up big Wednesday night, going 4-for-5 and blasting his first home run at Target Field. With Justin Morneau (concussion) out of the lineup since July 7th, Mauer's impact has been second to none. He is now hitting .332 on the season, a career year for most, but just a hair over his .328 career average.

WHITE SOX BITTEN BY PIRANHAS AGAIN

It was right around this time four years ago that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen dubbed the Minnesota Twins "piranhas" for their pesky, relentless style. Earlier this month, following yet another loss to the Twins, Guillen said "they're not piranhas anymore."

Though he hasn't yet settled on a new nickname, the fact remains, Minnesota is the ultimate thorn in Guillen's side, which he hasn't been able to remove for quite some time.

The White Sox have lost 10 of 15 meetings with Minnesota before taking out their frustrations in Thursday's 11-0 triumph to avoid a sweep. But with each head-to-head loss, Chicago's postseason hopes have become increasingly fickle. Jim Thome, who was let go by Chicago in the offseason and subsequently picked up by the Twins, provided the dagger with a walk-off home run for Minnesota in Tuesday's matchup. For Guillen, it was yet another sobering reminder that the former piranhas still have Chicago's number.

"For all those people there saying it was my fault about Jim Thome, yes it's my fault," Guillen said following Tuesday's heartbreaking loss. "If those people don't like that ... I'm not afraid. I couldn't care less what people think."

CABRERA STILL SHINING FOR FADING TIGERS

Entering Friday's series opener against Cleveland, the Detroit Tigers (58-63) find themselves 12 games back in the division, thanks to three straight losses to the New York Yankees this week. The reality that the Tigers have played their way out of postseason contention seems to have settled in for manager Jim Leyland. On Wednesday night, his expletive-laden rant was captured by on- field TV microphones.

"They're going to the (expletive) playoffs," Leyland shouted at home plate umpire Eric Cooper while disputing a call, "and I'm not going anywhere."

Somewhat lost in the wake of all the turmoil is the monstrous offensive numbers being put up by Miguel Cabrera. The first baseman blasted two home runs Wednesday night, and another on Thursday to give him 31 four-baggers for the season. Not since Cecil Fielder in 1991 has a Tigers player reached 30 home runs faster.

Cabrera is now hitting .340 and has reached 30 home runs for the fourth straight season. He continues to lead the majors with 100 RBI on the year, the seventh straight year Cabrera has reached triple digits in that department.

Standing in between Cabrera and a Triple Crown are Josh Hamilton's .353 batting average and Jose Bautista's 37 home runs. Both are within reach, although Cabrera will really need to crank up the power to pass Bautista, who has held the AL lead in homers for most of the season. Still, with the way Cabrera has been swinging the bat, it's certainly not out of the question.

SORIA CONTINUES TO HOLD DOWN THE NINTH IN K.C.

Rarely does a closer get much recognition on a team that's buried in the division standings, trying only to avoid a last-place finish. In fact, rarely does a last-place team choose to hang on to a highly coveted closer, rather than auction him off to the highest bidder at the trade deadline.

But that just goes to show how much the Kansas City Royals (51-70) value their closer, Joakim Soria. Though his talents aren't exactly being put to full use by a team that entered Friday 19 games below .500, the front office sees Soria as a key cog to the team's future and would like to keep him in a Royals' uniform for as long as possible.

Despite Kansas City having one of the lowest win totals in baseball, Soria leads all major league closers with 35 saves in 37 opportunities. His 1.94 ERA also ranks among the leaders. On Wednesday, he converted his team-record 28th consecutive save despite a shaky ninth inning.

"With Jack, knock on wood, it's never been nerve-racking," manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star. "I've got all the confidence in the world he'll get out of it. There's going to come a time when he's going to give up a run or blow a save. But those are few and far between. Hes as close to a robot or machine as you're going to get."

The Royals lead the majors with 44 one-run games, and 15 of their last 19 games have been decided by two runs or less. One can only imagine what their win-loss total might have looked like this year without Soria around to shut the door in the ninth inning.

GAUGING THE INDIANS

That the Cleveland Indians (50-71) would finish at or near the bottom of the standings was all but a foregone conclusion to most at the outset of the season. The important thing, the front office preached, was to find steady playing time for the younger guys so the team could evaluate its assets and needs moving toward the future.

Now that the Indians are 20+ games below .500, thanks to three straight series losses to Baltimore, Seattle and Kansas City, it begs the question of where exactly do they stand in the grand scheme of things? Can we conclude anything about what's in store for 2011 and beyond?

Manager Manny Acta said on Thursday that, despite the results, he is happy with the effort he sees on the field. Just as importantly, he doesn't want those youngsters to get bogged down by the wins and losses.

"It's about making progress," Acta told his players before Thursday's game. "We have a month and a half to play, and we're in a rough stretch. Yes, we're young, but I still have the right to tell them I'm not happy with the way we've been playing the last 10 days. They have to take advantage of this opportunity. We're not going to be rebuilding forever, and this is not a September callup."

Of course, rookie phenom Carlos Santana is out for the year, costing him a few months of precious development. Mitch Talbot has battled back problems. Justin Masterson tossed six shutout innings his last time out despite throwing more balls than strikes. Matt LaPorta recently ended an 0-for-21 funk and keyed a five-run eighth inning with an RBI single after a 13-pitch at-bat.

These are the types of players the front office is evaluating for the future. And as they've shown, they are still very much a work in progress.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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