05/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending world champion Boston Red Sox make their lone regular-season visit to the Metrodome this weekend, when the American League powerhouses start up a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins that begins this evening.
Jon Lester gets the starting assignment for the Sox in tonight's opener and will attempt to continue an excellent recent roll. The young left-hander held Tampa Bay to a run and four hits over six innings to pick up a victory on Sunday, five days after he fired eight shutout frames of one-run ball in a no decision against Toronto.
Lester has faced the Twins just one time previously, a relief stint at Fenway Park on September 30 of last season. He threw two shutout innings in that matchup and did not allow a hit while striking out two.
Boof Bonser takes the mound tonight for Minnesota and is coming off a wild last start. The right-hander was tagged for six first-inning runs against Detroit on Sunday, but he held the Tigers scoreless over the remainder of his six-inning stint and wound up with a no-decision in a 7-6 Twins' triumph.
Prior to that outing, Bonser limited Chicago to a run and struck out eight batters over seven stellar innings to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 victory on April 29.
Bonser has won both of his previous career starts against Boston and compiled a 3.75 ERA over those tests.
The Red Sox currently lead the AL East with a 23-14 record and have won six of their last seven games, including Thursday's 5-1 decision over Detroit. Josh Beckett threw seven strong innings and Kevin Youkilis belted a two-run homer for Boston, which took three of four matchups from the Tigers.
Beckett (4-2) allowed one run and six hits and did not walk a batter while racking up eight strikeouts on the night.
Jason Varitek also drove in two runs for the Red Sox, while Youkilis delivered his fifth home run in five games.
Minnesota surged into first place in the AL Central on the strength of a recent five-game win streak, but cooled off in this week's series at Chicago. The White Sox won two of the three matchups in the set and downed the Twins by a 6-2 count in Thursday's finale.
In his first start since April 4, Minnesota's Kevin Slowey (0-2) took the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits through five innings. The young righty was placed on the disabled list with a right biceps strain after his lone start earlier this season.
Joe Mauer and Delmon Young each registered two singles for Minnesota, which did not record an extra-base hit in the loss.
Boston won two of three games from the Twins at the Metrodome last May, but the Red Sox have gone just 3-6 as the visitor in this series since the beginning of the 2005 season.
<< A pair of aces to highlight Padres-Rockies opener
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A solid pitching matchup is on tap tonight at Petco Park,
where Jake Peavy will lead the San Diego Padres against Aaron Cook and the NL
West-rival Colorado Rockies.
Peavy is 4-1 with a 2.22 earned run average in seven
<< Reeling Brewers return home to face Central-leading Cards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers are back at home after a lengthy road
trip, and they will try to stop a six-game slide tonight in the first of four
straight games versus the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.
Milwaukee went 2-7 o
<< Marlins try to keep up season success against Nats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL East-leading Florida Marlins will try to extend
their current winning streak to a season-high five games tonight, when they
begin a seven-game road trip with the first of three straight meetings with
Washing
<< Braves take hot streak into Pittsburgh
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves will try to stay unbeaten this month as
they open a seven-game road trip with tonight's first of four straight games
against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Atlanta is coming off a perfect six
O's try to continue dominance of KC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles will attempt to maintain their
recent dominance of the Kansas City Royals when the two teams continue a four-
game series tonight at Kauffman Stadium.
Baltimore has now won 10 straight encounters wit
Maggert's brother killed in CO plane crash >>
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Professional golfer Jeff Maggert's
brother was killed Thursday when a single-engine plane he was piloting crashed
in a mountainous area in Colorado.
The plane went down in a rugged, wooded area a
Golf Tidbits: Inkster's major streak to end >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been significant winning
streaks in golf over the years, and there have also been plenty of players who
have stressed family over golf. Occasionally the two intersect.
Consider the case of Juli
Wolfsburg, Stuttgart highlight key Bundesliga games >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath described
Saturday's Bundesliga match against Stuttgart as a "final."
Wolfsburg has climbed from 11th at the halfway point of the season to seventh
- only Bayern Munich an
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
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