05/12/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - With the opportunity to achieve a series win over the defending world champions, the Minnesota Twins will send out their newfound ace in tonight's finale of a four-game set with the visiting Boston Red Sox.
Livan Hernandez has helped the Twins survive the offseason departure of two- time American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana with his early-season performance. The well-traveled veteran has won five of his first six decisions and amassed a solid 3.83 earned run average, while tossing six innings or more in all but one of his eight starts in 2008.
Hernandez, who signed with Minnesota in February, is fresh off a complete-game victory over division-rival Chicago on Wednesday. The 33-year-old scattered nine hits and walked just one in the Twins' 13-1 rout of the White Sox, which improved Minnesota to 7-1 in the games Hernandez has started this year.
The Cuban defector also was sharp in his previous outing, when he held Detroit to a run over seven innings in an 11-1 Twins' triumph on May 2.
Hernandez does not have a storied history when facing the Red Sox, however. He has lost both his lifetime starts against Boston and surrendered 12 runs (11 earned) along with 16 hits over just eight innings in those two games.
Pitching at the Metrodome should work in Hernandez's favor, though, as he's 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA in four home starts so far this season.
The AL Central-leading Twins have won two of the first three games against Boston, the current AL East front-runners, after holding on for a 9-8 decision on Sunday.
Craig Monroe clubbed a pair of homers and drove in four runs to lead Minnesota, which built an early 7-1 lead and survived a late Red Sox rally to win for the eighth time in 11 games. Justin Morneau had three hits and scored twice on the evening, while Adam Everett belted a two-run homer and Mike Lamb stroked a two-run single for the Twins.
Nick Blackburn (3-2) earned the victory after allowing nine hits and four runs through six innings. Twins closer Joe Nathan held on for his 12th save in as many opportunities despite allowing three hits and two runs in the ninth.
Coco Crisp smacked a two-run homer and had three RBI for Boston, while Alex Cora collected three hits in defeat.
Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield (3-2) had his shortest start since September 28, 2003. The knuckleball specialist was rocked for seven runs (6 earned) and seven hits over just 2 2/3 innings of work.
Boston hopes for a better showing tonight out of Clay Buchholz, who will make his first career start against Minnesota.
The rookie has been inconsistent so far during his first full major-league campaign. Buchholz went 2-1 with an impressive 1.40 ERA during a three-start stretch from April 21-May 2, but regressed with a shaky four-inning stint at Detroit on Wednesday. In that game, the young righty was tagged for five runs and a season-high 10 hits while lasting just four frames.
Buchholz has had some struggles pitching on the road, where the 23-year-old Texan has gone 0-2 with a 7.40 ERA in four starts.
The Red Sox hope to have Manny Ramirez back in the lineup tonight after the All-Star slugger was held out of last night's contest due to a sore right hamstring. Ramirez currently stands just three home runs shy of reaching 500 for his career.
Shortstop Julio Lugo also missed his second straight game for Boston because of a mild concussion and is questionable to play tonight.
Boston won two of three games from the Twins at the Metrodome last May, but the Red Sox have gone just 4-8 as the visitor in this series since the beginning of the 2005 season.
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Dan Uggla and the Florida Marlins will sure be sorry to have to leave Washington. Who can blame them? They've been there twice this season and haven't lost yet.Uggla hit two homers Sunday to help the Marlins complete another three-game sweep of the
<< Red Sox activate Cora
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Red Sox activated infielder Alex Cora
off the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Twins.
Cora, who had been out since April 9 with a sore right elbow, had three hits
and started
<< Twins hold on to beat Red Sox in homer-filled game
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Monroe clubbed a pair of homers and
drove in four runs, and Minnesota held on for a 9-8 victory over the Boston
Red Sox, in the third installment of a four-game series.
Justin Morneau had three
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Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maxime Talbot scored the go-ahead goal
8:51 into the third period, as the Pittsburgh Penguins topped the Philadelphia
Flyers, 4-2, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Talbot returned to the
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to knot their Eastern
Conference semifinal series at two games apiece with the Boston Celtics
tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers made it a 2-1 series with a big victory on Saturd
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invades San Francisco's AT&T Park for the opener of a four-game series, as the
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with t
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the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays conclude a four-game series today
with a doubleheader from Progressive Field.
The Indians have won the first two tests o
Red-hot Marlins take streak into Cincinnati >>
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The NL East-leadin
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
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