NL Central rivals get set to play an important three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati has won six of its last eight games and moved its record to 10-1-1 in its last 12 series. The Reds will now face off with a team that they’ve beaten five of six times this year, outscoring the Cubs by a 49-13 margin. “Yeah, we’ve got to keep winning series and hopefully you throw a sweep or two in there somewhere,” manager Dusty Baker said. The club is just a game over .500 with a 19-18 record this season (-150) and the total is 11-21 O/U in those contests. Cincinnati is averaging 4.1 runs per game and hitting for a combined .259 average during the day, which is almost a full run lower (4.9) than its average for the year. Playing divisional opponents has provided a boost to the team’s record all season, coming into this three-game series with a 31-18 record against NL Central opponents (+1,340).
The Miami Dolphins will be looking to take the next step this season and become a playoff contender after suffering through a somewhat disappointing campaign a year ago. The Dolphins showed flashes of brilliance at times offensively with their Wildcat backfield of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams after QB Chad Pennington got hurt, but they struggled to figure out who they were as a team as the season wore on. When Brown also went down for the year with a foot injury, young QB Chad Henne stepped up and gave Miami fans a glimpse of his potential. Now with All-Pro WR Brandon Marshall in tow thanks to a trade with the Denver Broncos, Henne has the perfect weapon to take the team’s passing game to the next level. If the Dolphins can improve enough defensively – they ranked 26th in the NFL last season, giving up 24.4 points per game – Henne and the offense should be able to score enough points to make them a legitimate threat in the race for the AFC East division title.
Chicago picked up a 4-1 victory in yesterday’s contest over the Tigers, as the team has won eight of its last 10 games. The White Sox currently hold a 1.5-game lead over the Twins in the division and are eight games ahead of the Tigers. The club holds a 5-2 season series advantage over today’s opponent, outscoring them by a 43-21 margin. Offensively, the team is batting .300 and the pitching staff has recorded a 3.05 ERA against the Tigers this season. The White Sox are 9-1-1 in the last 11 season series versus their division rivals. Even more impressive, the South Siders are 31-19 in their last 50 games at Comerica Park. Chicago is 22-12 in day games this season, which is the fourth-best record in the league and the total is 18-16 O/U in those contests. The team is 18-21 against the AL Central division in 2010 (-7000 and 96-88 over the last three years (-80).
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.
