San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
(-175, 8.5)
The Philadelphia Phillies are finally
getting some good vibes after suffering through a terrible rash of
injuries lately. Second baseman Chase Utely returned to the lineup on
Tuesday, coming back two weeks early following surgery to repair a torn
ligament in his right thumb. He was on the shelf since June 29.
"He's
tough as nails," Philadelphia left fielder Raul Ibanez told reporters
of Utely. "You knew he was going to do everything in his power to get
back on the field. Everything about him that he brings is positive for
the team. It's Chase. He brings himself. He's always preparing to be at
his best to win that game."
It’ll probably take a while for Utely
to find his groove, but his presence in the locker room alone should be
enough to get Phillies supporters excited. He’s hitting .269 with 11
homers and 37 RBIs in 73 games this season.
Philadelphia has
split the four-game season series with the Giants so far, taking both of
the last two meetings. Cole Hamels faces off against Jonathan Sanchez.
Hamels only has one win in his last 11 starts, but gave up more than
four runs only once during that stretch.
Pick:
Phillies
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins (-160,
8)
It’s no secret that there’s no love lost between
the White Sox and Twins, but in case there was ever any confusion,
Chicago bench boss Ozzie Guillen did a good job clearing that up in the
press.
"It's not a friendly rivalry," Guillen told The Chicago
Tribune. "I hate them. As soon as the game starts, we hate each other.
"They're
my friends. I talk to them before the game. I talk to them after the
game. I always have a smile with Gardy (Minnesota manager Rod
Gardenhire) and the coaching staff. But as soon as the game starts,
we're not friends anymore. We have a job to do."
Over the last
little while, the White Sox have done a terrible job getting wins in
Minnesota, going 5-21 over their last 26 visits. But Chicago is getting
close to crunch time and it was a perfect time for Guillen to stoke the
fire a bit with his club trailing Minnesota by eight games heading into
Tuesday’s action, winning just three of its last 11.
Pick:
White Sox
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