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05/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While this season has been a struggle at times for the Boston Red Sox, they've had little problem handling the Toronto Blue Jays thus far in 2010.
Boston will take aim at a fifth consecutive victory over the Blue Jays when the American League East foes continue a three-game series from Fenway Park this evening.
Despite trailing Toronto by 1 1/2 games for third place in the division race, the Red Sox have taken all four meetings between the clubs after posting a 7-6 triumph in Monday's opener of this set. All four of those victories have been by two runs or less.
Boston had swept a three-game series from the Blue Jays in Toronto last month and has now taken 10 of the past 13 overall encounters in this series.
Victor Martinez knocked in three runs and Dustin Pedroia went 2-for-4 with two RBI in last night's win, which improved the Sox to 6-2 on their current 10- game homestand.
Boston overcame an early 4-2 deficit by scoring four times in the bottom of the second inning, taking advantage of Toronto starter Brandon Morrow's inability to find the strike zone. The young right-hander issued five free passes during the frame and failed to complete the inning.
"That's an embarrassing start," said Morrow, who was charged with six runs allowed in 1 2/3 innings and fell to 2-3 on the year. "I was just a mess, really."
John Lackey (4-1) wasn't overly sharp for the Red Sox either, as the veteran starter was reached for six runs on eight hits in six innings of work. However, relievers Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon combined for three scoreless innings to protect the one-run lead.
"He was really struggling to find his command," manager Terry Francona told the Red Sox' official site of Lackey. "To his credit, he reeled it back in. He reeled it in and he competed without his best stuff [Monday] and got us deep enough to where the guys in the bullpen could do their jobs, and they did it well."
Jose Bautista had a two-run homer and John Buck finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for Toronto, which had won the first five tests of this 10-game road trip but has dropped two of three since.
Buck is riding a five-game hitting streak and is batting .412 (7-for-17) with three homers, six RBI and six runs scored during that stretch. Teammate Fred Lewis has hit in seven straight games after going 2-for-5 in last night's defeat and also owns a .414 average (14-for-34) over his tear.
The Blue Jays will be taking their swings tonight off Daisuke Matsuzaka, with the Japanese star set to make his third start since coming off the disabled list a few weeks back. The right-hander has struggled in each of his first two outings of the year, although he was able to notch a win in his most recent trip to the hill.
Matsuzaka was reached for five runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this past Thursday at Fenway Park, but received a wealth of run support in an 11-6 Boston win. That effort was an improvement over his season debut, when the 29-year-old lasted just 4 2/3 frames and was tagged for seven runs (6 earned) on seven hits -- including a pair of homers -- in a May 1 defeat at Baltimore.
He's had good success when taking on Toronto in the past, however, having compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in seven previous clashes with the Blue Jays. Matsuzaka did not face Toronto last season, when he was limited to only 12 starts due to arm problems.
Dana Eveland will oppose Matsuzaka in tonight's matchup and will be eager to atone for a poor showing against the Red Sox earlier this season. The left- hander's worst start of the year occurred in a 13-12 Toronto loss to the Red Sox on April 26, with Eveland being roughed up for seven runs on eight hits in a three-inning no-decision.
Boston has given Eveland problems all throughout his tenure in the majors, as the 26-year-old is 0-2 in four career starts against the Red Sox and has given up a whopping 25 runs and 30 hits over just 12 1/3 innings over the course of those meetings.
Eveland was terrific his last time out, however, holding Chicago to a mere two hits over seven shutout frames in Toronto's 2-0 triumph over the White Sox Thursday at U.S. Cellular Field. The win was his third of the season, and he's surrendered two runs or fewer in each of those starts.
<< Tampa's Trueblood signs tender
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Jeremy
Trueblood has signed his one-year tender offer.
Trueblood has appeared in 63 games, with 61 starts, in his four NFL seasons.
He was selected by the Buccaneers i
<< Royals host Indians in clash of AL Central cellar-dwellers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals try to avoid their sixth straight
loss this evening, when they open a three-game series with the Cleveland
Indians at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City closed its 11-game road trip in disappointing fashi
<< White Sox to pay first visit to Minnesota's Target Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox hope a change of venue makes a
difference in their matchup with the Minnesota Twins, as the two American
League Central foes begin a brief two-game set tonight at Target Field.
Chicago had struggled m
<< Yanks take another chance on Vazquez in Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Although Javier Vazquez hasn't shown to be very reliable
during his second tour of duty with the New York Yankees, the struggling
starter will be asked to play the role of stopper when the defending world
champions continue
Jags sign LB Lehman >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars signed veteran
linebacker Teddy Lehman to an undisclosed contract on Tuesday.
Lehman last saw action in the NFL in 2008, when he played four games on
special teams for th
U.S. will face Colombia in Davis Cup playoff >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States will face Colombia in a
Davis Cup playoff from September 17-19.
The Americans were relegated to the World Group playoffs after losing to
Serbia 3-2 in the opening round of the
The Preakness - Horse Racings Middle Child >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most casual horse racing fans hold the
Kentucky Derby in high regard. They also get revved up for the Belmont Stakes
if a horse is in line for a possible Triple Crown. On the other hand, the
Preakne
The Preakness - Horse Racing's Middle Child >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most casual horse racing fans hold the
Kentucky Derby in high regard. They also get revved up for the Belmont Stakes
if a horse is in line for a possible Triple Crown. On the other hand, the
Preakne
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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