Greinke goes for Royals in opener with Tigers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke can continue a recent hot streak tonight when the Kansas City Royals host the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Kauffman Stadium.

A 16-game winner with a 2.16 earned run average last season, Greinke was 7-11 this year after allowing six runs on 10 hits in a 7-1 loss at Seattle on Aug. 6. However, he's turned it around statistically in four starts since, allowing just seven runs on 28 hits in 30 innings while going 1-0 with three no- decisions.

He last faced the Tigers back on Opening Day in Kansas City and got a no- decision after allowing an earned run on six hits in six innings of Detroit's 8-4 win.

Lifetime against them, he is 11-5 with two complete games and a 2.45 ERA in 121 innings.

The Tigers counter with hard-throwing righty Jeremy Bonderman, who picked up his 10th career win against the Royals in his most recent start on Aug. 23. The 27-year-old scattered eight hits and allowed two runs while striking out three in the win, which was his first since Aug. 3 and stopped a three-start losing skid.

He was held out of his normal rotation slot five days later after feeling tightness in his rib cage and was replaced by rookie Alfredo Figaro, but a bullpen session this week went well enough for him to take the turn against the Royals.

Bonderman, who's won just 10 times in 44 games since the close of 2007 after notching double-digit wins for four straight seasons, is 2-5 on the road this year with a 6.83 ERA in 56 2/3 innings.

On Thursday in Minnesota, Gerald Laird's 13th-inning home run was the difference, as the Tigers pulled out a 10-9 victory over the Twins in the finale of a three-game series.

Laird's blast was one of five Tigers home runs, as Don Kelly, Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn also went deep. Casper Wells hit his first career homer to tie the contest in the ninth inning for Detroit, which had dropped the first two games of this set.

The Tigers, though, lost first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who had to leave the games with left biceps tendinitis. He is questionable for tonight's affair.

On Wednesday in Kansas City, Mitch Moreland's solo home run leading off the sixth inning proved to be the difference, as the Texas Rangers clipped the Royals, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Yuniesky Betancourt hit a solo home run and an RBI double for the Royals, while Bryan Bullington (1-4) yielded four runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.

The Royals have split their 12 meetings with the Tigers this season.

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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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