cleveland
Forget about each respective pitcher's records against tonight's
opponent, because we live in the here-and-now. The Indians are in
the thick of the Wild Card race, just one game back of the Yankees and
A's and they should be smelling the opportunity to put their names
on the top of that list. They have won 7 out of 10 (+$260) and are
their AL-best bullpen (2.86 ERA) is well rested after a rainout on
Tuesday and a travel day yesterday. Both Sabathia and Radke have
had very good Augusts but the Twins have really struggled to score
runs since Torii Hunter went on the DL. On Wednesday, they tied an
MLB record by getting 13 hits and being shutout in a 1-0 loss to
Kansas City. Radke has much more difficulty with lefties, who have
hit 19 of the 28 homers allowed by him this season, and he will
face the bats of Travis Hafner, Ben Broussard and the switch-hitting
Victor Martinez (.399 avg since the break)--all of whom are heating
up down the stretch. Sabathia has found his groove, winning 5
straight starts.
