MLB Play of the Days (POD's):
79-40 (66.4%) +102.05 units of profit! (+$102,051)
I like the Rangers to be the POD not as much as I normally like a 4 or 5 Dime POD, but that's fine we will roll with the 3-Dimer here on Monday with the thin card. We are 2-1 in our last 3 MLB POD's with a blown save loss on the Red Sox that kept us from having the perfect 3-0 that we have in the NFL to start the season. Make sure you check out tonight's NFL POD.
Rangers now have sole posession of the Wild Card and I think they will continue to hold it for a while here as they open up a series with the Twins who are just 4-11 in their last 15 games and have just been awful on the road. They'll send Liriano to the mound against surprise Tommy Hunter who the Twins have never faced.
I like the angle here with Hunter because the Twins have never seen him and it will take at least 1 trip through the line up for them to make adjustments. Hunter has a 2.75 ERA in his last starts and a 3.09 ERA at home. What is more impressive about Hunter is his ability to pitch big at night he has a 4-2 record, with a 1.87 ERA in 55.2 IP. He will get an offensive boost here as the Rangers got Kinsler off the DL in which he went 4-6 with 2HR in the final two games carrying the Rangers to the lead in the Wild Card. If Kinsler can be the powerful right handed bat he was before the Rangers have a real shot here to win the wild card. They have dominated at home vs. LHP they have a .277 average and are scoring an average 6.25 runs per 9 innings.
Liriano struggles continue with a 5.71 ERA in his last three. He continues to fail on the road and has a 6.01 ERA this year with a 3-6 record he has one start vs. the Rangers this year where he went 6 IP 5H 2ER 3BB and 1HR. In his last 2 road games he has gone 10.1 IP 10 ER 6 BB and 3HR. He's going to have a tough time here against the Rangers who are 2nd in the league in HR's and pitching in a tough Arlington stadium that is #9 on the most HR hit list. Look for Texas to keep rolling here tonight against the Twins who are 1-7 in their last 8 vs. AL West. Rangers are 13-3 in their last 16 as favorites and 9-0 in their last 9 as home favorites.
