Damon, Porcello help Tigers down White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

09/09/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Rick Porcello threw eight strong frames as the Tigers handed the White Sox a third straight loss, 6-3, to close out a four-game series.

Ryan Raburn and Jhonny Peralta each drove in a pair and Will Rhymes had three hits and two runs scored for Detroit, which won the final three games in the set to put Chicago further back in the American League Central race.

The White Sox, despite a relatively successful 7-3 road trip, now trail the idle Minnesota Twins by six games heading into a nine-game homestand

Porcello (9-11) won a fourth straight start, scattering four hits and three runs while striking out three and walking none in the win.

Gavin Floyd (10-12) was knocked around for 13 hits -- all singles -- while five of the six runs he allowed in six-plus innings were earned. Alex Rios hit a two-run homer in defeat.

The Tigers went right to work in the top of the first, with Austin Jackson leading off with a walk, advancing to second on Rhymes' single and scoring on Damon's line drive base hit to right.

Rhymes scored on a double-play ball off the bat of Raburn, then singled to open the third and came around on another Raburn groundout. A Peralta single later in the inning plated Damon for a 4-0 cushion.

Porcello set down the first 10 batters he saw before Omar Vizquel singled in front of Rios' home run to left.

Detroit got a run back on Raburn's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom half, and it stayed 5-2 until the seventh, when Paul Konerko led off the away half with a hit and eventually raced home on a wild pitch.

Again the Tigers answered in their turn, as Peralta's sacrifice fly to the warning track in left knocked in Damon.

Ryan Perry relieved the effective Porcello in the ninth and survived a leadoff walk to notch his second save of the season.

Game Notes

Chicago plays three games against the Royals starting Friday before welcoming Minnesota for a crucial three-game set...Tigers first baseman and AL MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera sat out for the second straight game with a shoulder injury...Perry's other save came on April 10 against Cleveland...Floyd was 5-0 with a 3.20 earned-run average in 13 previous starts against the Tigers, while Porcello was winless (0-4) in five starts against Chicago with an 8.67 ERA.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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