Cleveland Indians @ Minnesota Twins – Friday July 19, 2013
The best sports betting sites know that the second half of the MLB season is a time when those teams that did not perform well earlier in the season get a chance at redeeming themselves. The Minnesota Twins seemed like they had just enough talent to be dangerous in the AL Central, but they could never get it together long enough to have sustained winning streaks. As a result, the Twins start the second half of the season 12 games out of first place in the AL Central and 14 games under .500. If the Twins are going to make a move, now is the time to make it.
The Cleveland Indians had always appeared to have the tools they needed to be successful, but they faded in the second half of the season. The sports betting services became interested in Cleveland when it hired former Boston manager Terry Francona to get the pieces of the puzzle to work together. Francona had worked miracles in Boston, but he had a much more talented lineup to work with. Still, Francona is finding a lot of success with a young Cleveland team in only his first season as the Indians’ manager.
Minnesota Twins
Mike Pelfrey starts on the mound for the Twins and it is a decision that does not give the sports book experts a lot of confidence. Pelfrey is 4-7 on the season with a 5.55 ERA. He has no complete games this season and he has more than his fair share of outings that ended after the second or third inning. Minnesota is actually playing some good defense this season, but Pelfrey has a habit of allowing more hits than the Twins fielders can handle. With Minnesota struggling to hit the baseball, this could be a long outing for Pelfrey.
Cleveland Indians
Scott Kazmir is desperately trying to regain the pitching form he had when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays almost a decade ago. The online sports betting sites are seeing some progress with Kazmir this season as his 5-4 record will attest to. But his 4.60 ERA tells a different story and it is that story which concerns the Indians. In his last three starts, Kazmir has given up a total of seven runs in 17 innings pitched. But he may have just enough to get to the sixth inning with the lead and allow the Cleveland bullpen to take over.
The Bottom Line
The fans in Minnesota are getting that sinking feeling again as the Twins are showing signs of another second half collapse. The Indians, on the other hand, come into the second half of the season feeling strong and playing well. The Indians are on the right track towards building a winning baseball team and that will be evident by the time this game is over.
Read more about the Cleveland Indians.
Pick: Cleveland Indians
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