Tigers try to gain ground in wild card race versus Mariners

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers go after their fourth straight win this evening when they play the second test of a three-game series against the struggling Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park.

In the opener of this set on Friday, Curtis Granderson made major league history by belting his 20th homer of the season to help Detroit to a 6-1 win. With his home run, Granderson became just the sixth player in major league history with at least 20 home runs, 20 doubles and 20 triples in one season.

Placido Polanco finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Tigers, who won their third straight game and vaulted above Seattle in the AL wild card race. The Tigers, though, are still three games behind New York for the wild card.

Justin Verlander (16-5) was brilliant for eight innings. The flame-throwing righty allowed just one run on seven hits while fanning three.

Jose Vidro was 3-for-4 with a run scored for the reeling Mariners, who have dropped 12 of their past 13 games and slipped four games behind the Yankees, who beat the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Miguel Batista (13-11) was touched for six runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings en route to the loss.

Getting the call for the Tigers this evening will be left-hander Nate Robertson, who is 7-11 with a 4.95 earned run average. Robertson received a no-decision on Sunday against Oakland, as he surrendered two runs and four hits in six innings of an 8-7 loss.

Robertson lost to the Mariners earlier in the year and is 4-3 lifetime against them with a 3.26 ERA in seven starts.

Seattle will counter with righty Jeff Weaver, who is winless in his last two starts after stringing four straight wins together. Weaver was tagged with the loss on Sunday against Toronto, as he was hammered for five runs and eight hits in just three innings to fall to 6-11 on the year, while raising his ERA to 5.85.

Weaver, a first round pick of the Tigers back in 1998, lost to his former team earlier in the year and is just 1-4 in his career against them with a 5.46 ERA in five starts.

Detroit has won five of eight from the Mariners this season and is 21-14 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. Seattle has also lost four of its last seven in the Motor City.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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