Yankees On A Roll
The All-Star break has proven to be a useful respite for Robinson Cano
in his brief career. The past week has proven no different.
Cano
and the New York Yankees try to cap a perfect six-game homestand and
run their winning streak at Yankee Stadium to 10 games Wednesday when
they close a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global
have made New York -135 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has
been set at 9.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that
79% of bets for this game have been placed on New York -135 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Cano
is a lifetime .339 hitter after the midsummer classic, and he has
quickly found his second-half form in helping the Yankees go 5-0 since
hosting the All-Star game. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as New York
(55-45) defeated Minnesota 8-2 on Tuesday and pulled within 3 1/2 games
of slumping Tampa Bay for the AL East lead.
"We’re playing great
right now,” said Cano, who is 12-for-23 (.522) with seven RBIs in the
five victories. "We’re doing our job with men on base better than the
first half.”
Cano’s .339 post-All Star break batting average
since making the Yankees roster as a rookie in 2005 trails only Albert
Pujols among active players, and his 148 RBIs are good for 21st. He
went home during the All-Star break to the Dominican Republic, where he
and his father worked out.
"I feel like I’m staying behind the
ball, not reaching or jumping like I was in the first half,” said
Cano, who had 13 homers and 57 RBIs while batting .343 in the second
half of 2007.
Cano – a lifetime .340 hitter versus the Twins –
will again try to spark New York’s offense for Mike Mussina (12-6, 3.49
ERA), who has pitched well of late and until recently, had dominated
the Twins. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last three
starts, and worked in and out of trouble against Oakland on Friday,
giving up nine hits – but only one run – in six innings of a 7-1
victory.
Mussina improved to 21-6 lifetime against the Twins with
a victory May 30 at Minnesota despite allowing four runs in six
innings. It ended a personal four-game losing streak to the Twins, whom
he is 10-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts against when pitching at home.
New
York, which will travel to Boston for a key three-game series starting
Friday, has not won 10 straight home games since July 26-Aug. 14, 1998.
The
Twins (55-45) will undoubtedly be happy to see this version of Yankee
Stadium get torn down at season’s end, entering this game 3-18 there
since the start of 2002 and losing seven straight series.
"We
missed a couple plays out there, which always kills you in this
ballpark,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team has lost
three straight.
Glen Perkins (7-2, 3.84) will try to help
Minnesota avoid a sweep and win his fourth consecutive start. The
left-hander had his best outing of the season Friday, scattering three
hits and three walks in six innings of a 6-0 win over Texas.
"I’ve
had a lot of fun with it,” said Perkins, who has won five straight
decisions since losing to Mussina on May 30. "It’s just being able to
help the team and get the team wins is what I’m trying to do and that’s
why I’ve been successful as a starter so far.”
Perkins, a
converted starter after spending his first two years as a reliever, was
reached for five runs and 10 hits in a season low-tying four innings in
his first-ever appearance versus New York.
Did
you like this article? Subscribe to our Baseball news feed for the fastest
updates delivered right to you – Click here to
Subscribe
