The Rays will look to regain sole possession of first place in the AL East standings in the series finale against the Twins.
Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota captured a 2-1 victory in the third game of this four-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field, overcoming a blown save in the ninth from new closer Matt Capps. “An exciting baseball game,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Well pitched by both sides.” Catcher Joe Mauer was back in the lineup for a second straight day, after missing two games with a shoulder injury. The win last night snapped a four-game losing streak for the Twins against the Rays, which was their longest losing streak against Tampa Bay since August 2001. The club is 21-18 in day games this season (-50) and the total is 17-18 O/U in those contests. Minnesota has also played just three games this season in domes due to moving into Target Field from the Metrodome this year, posting a 1-2 mark in this series thus far (-40). The Twins are still a dismal 13-18 against AL East opponents.
Los Angeles lost for the ninth time in 12 games and could possibly drop below .500 for the first time since June 2. The game also marked the move of Torii Hunter going from his regular position of center field to right. “It was different, but I was still in the game in the outfield,” Hunter said. The Angels have been unable to collect back-to-back victories since June 16-17 and are 7-10 since the All-Star break. Los Angeles is an even 1-1 this month (-20) and is 33-26 in August the past three years (-420). The club will be a road favorite of -125 to -150 for just the fourth time this year (1-2, -170), but has excelled in his role the past three seasons, producing a 29-16 record (+620). Despite the 6-3 loss in the series opener, the team is 10-4 in their last 14 games in Baltimore.
Milwaukee dropped five in a row before Monday’s 18-1 blowout victory over the Cubs and followed that performance up with a 4-3 win last night. “We’ve had a real good approach in this series,” third baseman Casey McGehee said. Today’s game will be the final of a six-game road trip that saw the club suffer a sweep in Houston. The Brewers are 26-30 on the road (-20) and have posted a 4-9-4 mark in series play away from Miller Park. Milwaukee is 2-1 early in August and a dominating 35-22 during this calendar month the last three seasons (+930). A win today would give the Brewers four consecutive victories over the Cubs for the first time since 2006. They may be hard-pressed to accomplish that feat, with a 14-25 daytime record (-1,290).
Toronto has captured the first two games of this series and the offense has managed to generate eight runs in each contest. “We’re doing a good job offensively,” Jose Bautista said. “We’re coming up with big hits when we need them and solo shots here and there.” He hit his MLB-best 33rd home run last night in the ninth inning, as the Blue Jays have hit 23 of their 167 home runs during their current 8-3 stretch. The pitching staff has held its own recently, ranking second in the American League with a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break. The team is now 5-3 against the Yankees this season and have won eight of their last 13 meetings dating back to last year. Toronto stands at 22-16 versus division opponents (+1,010) and the total is 17-20 O/U in those contests.
Cincinnati fell 7-6 in the second game of this three-game set against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, but the club has still won five of its last eight games. It’s also important to note that the Reds are 9-1-1 in their previous 11 series, including 4-0-1 in their first five series of the second half. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2000, currently features the NL’s top lineup and best defense. “This is why I came here, for this point and purpose,” manager Dusty Baker said. All-Star first baseman Joey Votto didn’t start for a second straight game on Tuesday with a sprained wrist. Cincinnati is a dominating 30-17 against division opponents this season and the total is 21-22 O/U in those games. In 36 day games, the Reds have compiled an even 18-18 mark and the total is 10-21 O/U.
