Angels pay a visit to Tigers in Motown

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08/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Detroit Tigers are fading in their respective division-title races. Good news is that one club has to win tonight when the two teams kick off a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Both teams will be sending out their aces for tonight's openers, as the Angels' Jered Weaver opposes Justin Verlander of the Tigers in a matchup of 2004 first-round picks.

Weaver, grabbed 12th overall by the Angels, has split his last four starts despite a solid 2.33 earned run average. He is coming off a win on Sunday in which he held the Rangers to just one unearned run and four hits over seven innings, walking three and striking out seven.

The 27-year-old righty is 10-7 with a 3.04 ERA this year and has pitched at least six innings in 14 straight starts dating back to May 23.

Weaver is 2-3 with a 6.51 ERA in seven career starts versus the Tigers, losing to Verlander on May 2 after giving up four runs over 4 2/3 innings. Verlander, meanwhile, hurled 8 1/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball that day to improve to 3-2 with a 4.44 ERA in eight matchups with the Angels.

The 27-year-old second overall pick of 2004, Verlander had a four-decision winning streak end with a loss at Tampa on July 27, then did not factor into the decision of his team's 4-3 loss at Boston on Monday. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits over seven innings with eight strikeouts.

Verlander is 12-6 with a 3.74 ERA this year and has won five straight starts at home, where he hasn't lost since May 31 and is 7-2 with a 2.65 ERA this season.

Both the Angels and Tigers are coming off Thursday losses, with Los Angeles falling 10 games off the pace for first place in the American League West, while Detroit has dropped nine games back in the AL Central.

Los Angeles erased a four-run deficit to Baltimore in the eighth inning yesterday, getting a three-run homer from Torii Hunter in the frame and an RBI hit by Bobby Abreu. However, closer Francisco Rodriguez gave up a game-winning RBI single to Cesar Izturis in the bottom of the ninth to earn the Angels' their 11th loss in 14 games.

"I think [new O's manager Buck Showalter] really sparked those guys," Hunter said. "We just couldn't come through. They just seemed like they wanted it more."

Detroit also wasted a late rally on Thursday versus Chicago. Pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for the Tigers to force extra innings, but Jose Valverde yielded two runs in the 11th inning of a 6-4 setback.

"We got the big one there in the last inning to tie it up, but we couldn't hold it," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We didn't do much offensively the whole game."

Don Kelly also hit a solo homer as the Tigers lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

The Tigers have ripped off five straight victories over the Angels since losing the first two meetings this year. That includes a three-game sweep at home from April 30-May 2, as Detroit has won nine of the last 12 meetings.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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