Tigers, Blue Jays play two at Comerica

Baseball Betting Lines

07/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Due to the postponement of the contest on Friday, the fans at Comerica Park will get a double dose of baseball this afternoon when the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series with a traditional doubleheader.

Taking the hill for Detroit in the opening matchup with be Jeremy Bonderman.

Earlier in his career Bonderman was considered the ace of Detroit, but the emergence of Justin Verlander, and more importantly a rash of injures have left the veteran right-hander surrounded by question marks.

The 2010 campaign has been an inconsistent nightmare for Bonderman, who is just 5-6 with a 4.98 earned run average. The last time the Washington native was on the hill, he was pounded by Texas, allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. However, despite the lackluster showing, Bonderman did not factor in the 8-6 setback.

This will be the ninth career start for Bonderman against Toronto and his 11th appearance overall. During that span, Bonderman has performed well against the AL East foe, notching a 2-2 mark with a solid 3.00 earned run average.

Brett Cecil is one of the many young pitchers for the Blue Jays, but like most young arms Cecil has dealt with some bumps in the road this year. In fact, the southpaw has just one victory in his last six matchups.

The last time the 24-year-old was on the mound he limited Kansas City to just three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. Cecil, who saw his ERA rise to 3.99 on the season, also walked three batters in the 5-4 loss to Kansas City.

Cecil, who is 5-3 in 10 road starts this season, will be meeting the Blue Jays for the first time in his brief career.

In the night cap, the Tigers will look towards Armando Galarraga, who has gone winless in his last three starts. The right-hander has won just twice in his last 10 outings, and one of those victories was the infamous near perfect game.

The last time the 28-year-old was on the hill he tossed 7 1/3 innings against Texas, but surrendered four runs on nine hits, en route to an 8-0 loss. It was the first loss at home for Galarraga, who is now 2-1 with an impressive 2.98 earned run average in seven games at Comerica Park.

Galarraga has enjoy success against Toronto in his career, posting a 2-0 mark with an equally impressive 2.30 earned run average.

The Blue Jays will turn to Jesse Litsch, who is coming off his first victory of the season. Litsch, who was activated from the disable list on June 9 went winless in his first six outings before leading Toronto to a win over Kansas City on July 20.

In the victory over the Royals, the right-hander allowed just one run on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Even though the victory came on the road, the Florida native is just 1-3 outside of Toronto, with an even worse 8.00 earned run average.

In two career starts against Detroit Litsch is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA.

On Saturday, Jose Bautista knocked in two runs to back a solid outing from Shaun Marcum as Toronto clipped Detroit, 3-2. Vernon Wells drove in the other for the Blue Jays, who snapped a two-game slide.

Marcum (9-4) yielded eight hits and a pair of runs over 5 2/3 frames, fanning five with one walk to register his third win in four starts. Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save.

Miguel Cabrera had two hits and drove in a run for the Tigers, who lost slugger Magglio Ordonez to a fractured right ankle and second baseman Carlos Guillen to a leg injury.

Ordonez was taken for evaluation, and the team later announced he'd be out 6- to-8 weeks while recovering.

Rick Porcello (4-8) gave up five hits and three runs with four walks over six innings in defeat for Detroit, which has dropped eight of its last 10 games.

Toronto prevailed in five of eight encounters with the Tigers last season, with the clubs splitting a four-game set in the Motor City from September 11-14.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.