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BASEBALL BETTING LINES, BETTING ODDS AND BETTING NEWS
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2006 World Series
Cardinals Hitting: Any discussion of the Cardinals offence has to start with Albert Pujols, who despite missing 15 games with an oblique injury still hit over .330 with over 45 home runs and 130 RBI. After Albert, the Cardinals have Scott Rolen who has had a nice bounce back and rookie sensation Chris Duncan who has over 20 home runs in only 270 at-bats.
The issue with the Cardinals is that after those three, there is really little else offensively for other clubs to worry about. Jim Edmonds just recently returned from post-concussion syndrome but is clearly on the downside of his career. David Eckstein while a good player doesn't really strike fear in opposing pitchers. If the big bats slump, the Cardinals could be in trouble. But the team did get some great clutch hitting from guys like Yadier Molina and So Taguchi.
Tigers Hitting:The Tigers are easily the biggest surprise in baseball this year, and have hit the third most home runs in the American League during the regular season despite not having a single hitter in the lineup hit more than 30, though eight different Tigers have hit double digits this season.
While Pudge Rodriguez has been his usual steady self, the Tigers attack has been bolstered by the power of Brandon Inge, Marcus Thames and Craig Monroe. Magglio Ordonez has also recovered from his injury woes to return to being the quality he was in his prime with the White Sox some years ago.
Perhaps the biggest driving force in the Tigers offence is Carlos Guillen. The shortstop leads the Tigers in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and stolen bases. The knock against Detroit is that they don't get on-base enough and don't have a really feared bat in the lineup which could hurt them when things tighten up in the post season.
Cardinals Pitching: Aside from Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals starting rotation didn't really scare anyone in the regular season. Don't tell that Jeff Suppan, whose outings in the NLCS earned him MVP honours for the series. Jeff Weaver has also been solid in the postseason, as well as Jason Marquis.
The bullpen had issues with closer Jason Isringhausen out for the playoffs, but new closer Adam Wainwright has been lights out in the bullpen all season. His performance in Game 7 of the NLCS - ousting Carlos Beltran on a called strike with the bases loaded at the bottom of the ninth inning - was the stuff of legends.
Tigers Pitching: Right from the outset of the season, the Tigers have been lead by their pitching staff. Veteran left-hander Kenny Rogers has once again put together a solid season, while youngsters Jeremy Bonderman and rookie of the year candidate Justin Verlander have been great from the right-side.
As good as the starters have been, the real strength though for Detroit is their bullpen which has been led by Todd Jones, who showed this year that his rebirth season in 2005 was no fluke. Setup man Fernando Rodney has been decent, while Joel Zumaya - even with his recent wrist problems - promises to bring some serious heat against the Cards.
There's no question mark anymore on whether the youngsters will be able to deal with postseason pressure, but can they do it in the final series to win it all?
St. Louis Cardinials
Projected Lineup:
1. David Eckstein - SS
2. Chris Duncan - LF
3. Albert Pujols - 1B
4. Scott Rolen - 3B
5. Juan Encarnacion - RF
6. Jim Edmonds - CF
7. Ronnie Belliard - 2B
8. Yadier Molina - C
9. SP/DH
Rotation:
1. Jeff Weaver - RHP
2. Chris Carpenter - RHP
3. Jeff Suppan - RHP
4. Anthony Reyes - RHP
Closer:
Adam Wainwright - RHP
Relief:
Braden Looper - RHP
Brad Thompson - RHP
Detroit Tigers
Projected Lineup:
1. Curtis Granderson - CF
2. Craig Monroe - LF
3. Placido Polanco - 2B
4. Magglio Ordonez - RF
5. Carlos Guillen - SS
6. Ivan Rodriguez - C
7. Sean Casey - 1B
8. Brandon Inge - 3B
9. Marcus Thames - DH
Rotation:
1. Nate Robertson - LHP
2. Justin Verlander - RHP
3. Kenny Rogers - LHP
4. Jeremy Bonderman - RHP
Closer:
Todd Jones - RHP
Relief:
Joel Zumaya - RHP
Fernando Rodney - RHP
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