Where do the Twins go from here?

Baseball Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You could almost hear a collective groan this morning, from Minneapolis all the way down to Fort Myers, as the news began to circulate that Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan could be lost for the season because of a torn ligament in his pitching elbow.

Outside of someone named Joe Mauer, Nathan is probably the most irreplaceable player on the Minnesota roster. Quite frankly, you can make the argument that Nathan is the more vital piece to the Twins' puzzle than the reigning American League Most Valuable Player.

The bad news started for the Twins over the weekend, when Nathan experienced tightness in his elbow after facing just one batter in an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox.

He then left Florida and traveled back to Minnesota for tests, which revealed the tear. The team is going to get a second opinion, but once swelling in the elbow subsides, Nathan, in all likelihood, will have to undergo dreaded Tommy John surgery.

So where do the Twins go from here? With Nathan in the mix they were a heavy favorite to once again win the AL Central. Now, not so much.

I mean, how exactly do you replace a guy who in the last five years has saved more games than any other closer in baseball? It is impossible, you can't, especially if you are the Twins.

There are closers out there for the taking. Cleveland's Kerry Wood and Cincinnati's Francisco Cordero ring a bell right off the bat. The problem there, of course, is that while the Twins could probably pull off a deal, they are paying Nathan $11.25 million this season.

Can you really see them shelling out an additional $10+ million for the closer position? It is not going to happen.

San Diego's Heath Bell could also probably be had. He only makes about $4 million this season, but the Twins would have to unload the farm for him.

There is an intriguing option out there for Ron Gardenhire, and he does not have to look very far to find it. That option is lefty Francisco Liriano, who by all accounts has looked about as good this past winter as at any time since undergoing his own Tommy John surgery following the 2006 season.

Down in the Dominican, Liriano was throwing his fastball in the mid-90s along with a "filthy" slider. Minnesota had high hopes for him finally living up to that world of potential he flashed in the 2006 campaign, when he went 12-3 and drew comparisons to Johan Santana.

Quite simply, the Twins were counting on him being their ace this season.

I had already pegged Liriano as the key to the Twins' season before I heard the awful news on Nathan. Now, it is even more apparent that he will make or break the Twins this season. If they decide to keep him in rotation, there is an even bigger need for him to be an ace. And if they move him to the pen, well, all this worrying today could be rendered moot.

Of course, I am not sure that Liriano can handle it from a physical standpoint. It has been over three years since his own surgery, and unlike other pitchers who have had it, he has never really been the same.

Actually, he has regressed.

If he is physically up to the task, though, he is the Twins' best option from an in-house standpoint. But then again, if they move him, could Minnesota get by with a rotation of Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing?

That is not great, but it is not awful either. The Twins were a favorite to win the division even before people knew what they were going to get from Liriano. Not having him in the rotation may not hurt them, simply because he was such an unknown.

Early on, it would be a struggle for Liriano to go on back-to-back nights, but the Twins do have a former closer on their roster in right-hander Jon Rauch, who saved 17 games for the Washington Nationals in 2008. Rauch is the perfect guy to ease Liriano into an everyday role.

While it sounds easy enough to convert Liriano, Minnesota may not want to mess with him any further, especially on such short notice. We are just under a month away from the start of the season. I am not sure they can get his arm into that kind of shape just yet. He would need a little extra conditioning in Fort Myers.

But like I said, Rauch should be able to hold down the fort until Liriano is ready.

I know it is more important to have a dominating ace than a closer, but Liriano hasn't come close to being the pitcher he was before the surgery. Who knows if he ever will be again? I say make the move now.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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