Bonderman Leads Tigers
Jeremy Bonderman hopes a matchup with the slumping Baltimore Orioles is just what he needs to close out a tough first month of the season.
Bonderman (0-0, 3.18 ERA) tries again for his first win Monday when the Tigers (13-11) open a three-game series with the Orioles (12-13).
Oddsmakers have made Detroit -160 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for todays game, the over/under has been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 59% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -160 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
The 24-year-old right-hander finished each of the last two seasons with 14 victories, but he’s gotten off to a slow start in 2007, failing to earn a decision in any of his five starts – the first Tigers starter to do so since Brian Bohanon in 1995.
Detroit is 1-4 with Bonderman on the mound, but other than his most recent outing, he hasn’t pitched poorly. Prior to his start Tuesday against the Angels in which he gave up seven runs and 11 hits in a 9-8, 10-inning loss, Bonderman had a 2.25 ERA over 28 innings.
The Tigers gave him an average of just 2.25 runs of support during his first four starts, which were also marred by bullpen troubles.
"Bonderman has pitched well for us," manager Jim Leyland told the team’s official Web site. "We just haven’t gotten anything for him."
While Bonderman hopes to rebound from his rough outing when he faces the struggling Orioles, he’s 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA in four starts against them.
The Tigers avoided being swept by Minnesota with a 4-3 win Sunday. Brandon Inge, who came into the game batting .122, hit a walkoff homer and finished 3-for-3 for the day.
"April has just been brutal for me, so I’ve just wanted May to get here as possible," he said. "The strange thing is that I’ve had a lot of days where I felt great and couldn’t get a hit. Today, I wasn’t feeling it, and I get three hits, including a walkoff."
This will be the second and final series between Baltimore and Detroit this season. The Tigers took two of three from April 9-12 at Camden Yards, holding the Orioles to one run in each of the last two games after losing 6-2 in the opener.
Baltimore dropped two of three at Cleveland over the weekend and has lost six of seven overall. Jaret Wright, who had been on the disabled list with shoulder soreness since April 10, made the start Sunday but lasted just three innings and allowed three runs and four hits in a 6-1 defeat. He said he was still experiencing discomfort in the shoulder.
First baseman Aubrey Huff accounted for Baltimore’s only run with a one-out homer in the ninth.
On Monday, the Orioles will hand the ball to Daniel Cabrera (1-2, 4.09), whose only win this season came against the Tigers on April 9. The right-hander pitched 7 2-3 innings, giving up two runs and seven hits in the 6-2 victory.
Cabrera pitched 6 2-3 innings against Boston on Wednesday, allowing three runs and five hits while striking out five in a 6-1 loss.
Cabrera is 3-0 with a 5.34 ERA in five starts against Detroit. Baltimore hasn’t lost any of his outings against the Tigers.
by: Dave Michaels – thespread.com – Email Us
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