Struggling Tigers in need of deadline help

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching and the post-all-star break blues in full effect, the Detroit Tigers have some serious soul-searching to do before July 31st.

Heading into the Mid-Summer Classic, the Tigers were a half-game back in the American League Central and locked into a dogfight with the surging Chicago White Sox, who had reeled off eight-straight wins leading up to the break.

But after dropping four straight to the lowly Cleveland Indians and surrendering the next two games to the AL-West leading Texas Rangers and falling 3.5 games back in the division, a crumbling economy wasn't the only concern in Motown.

To make matters worse, a resurgent Brandon Inge, who hit .287 in June and .326 in July, was sent to the disabled list with a broken hand that will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks.

Inge's misfortune comes less than a month after flame-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya endured a season-ending elbow injury - further crippling Detroit's postseason aspirations.

If the Tigers hope to avoid a mid-season meltdown similar to years' past, it might be necessary for owner Mike Ilitch to open his wallet and seek out quality replacements for Detroit's fallen soldiers.

With an estimated $50 million coming off the payroll next season, the Tigers are in prime position to acquire the necessary talent for a late-season playoff push.

Detroit is in desperate need of help on the mound and in the middle infield. Fortunately, there seem to be many names available who could be of major interest to a fledgling franchise.

It has been speculated that the Tigers, along with the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox could have interest in AL home-run king Jose Bautista.

The Jays slugger could fill the void at third base and bring some much-needed pop to a floundering offense while helping insulate triple-crown threat Miguel Cabrera.

Other names that have been mentioned as possible trade bait include Cleveland's Jhonny Peralta, Baltimore's Ty Wigginton, Seattle's Jose Lopez and Chicago Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot.

Despite Inge's injury and the bottom-of-the-lineup struggles for the Tigers, pitching help still reigns supreme.

With the loss of Zumaya and the lack of consistency throughout the starting rotation, there are plenty of stop-gap solutions available for hire.

Arms such as Ted Lilly, Ben Sheets, Michael Wuertz, David Aardsma and Dan Haren have all been mentioned as potential targets that could help balance out a bullpen or rotation in need of a hired gun.

But after the failed experiments of Jarrod Washburn and Aubrey Huff a year ago, one has to wonder if the Tigers will be fated to similar circumstances this time around.

Regardless of history, it's evident the Tigers cannot rely on a sturdy, yet inexperienced core of youngsters to bring them back to the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Super rookies Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson have been a welcome addition this season, but relying on two new starters along with third-base fill-in Don Kelly could spell disaster for Detroit down the stretch.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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