Phils shoot for fourth straight victory versus Dodgers
Baseball Betting Lines
08/30/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping a recent sweep of the
talented San Diego Padres will catapult them back into the postseason.
Currently standing in the way of that goal are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who
will welcome the two-time defending National League champions to Chavez Ravine
tonight in the opener of a three-game series.
Before winning all three games at San Diego's Petco Park over the weekend, the
Phillies were swept in four games at home by the also-ran Houston Astros.
Great pitching from Philadelphia's starters led to the recent sweep, which was
finished off in Sunday's performance by Cole Hamels. Hamels fired eight
shutout innings and struck out six Padres for the win before Ryan Madson
closed the door in the ninth to preserve the 5-0 shutout.
"After the last four games we had at home, we're just trying to get back to
the way we know we're capable of playing," Hamels said.
Mike Sweeney hit a two-run homer, his first with the club, and Jayson Werth
contributed a solo home run for the Phillies, who lead the National League
Wild Card race by 1 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco. The Phils are still two
games behind Atlanta for NL East bragging rights.
Roy Halladay has beaten the Dodgers all three times he has faced them and will
try to get back on the winning path in Monday's series opener. Halladay, who
sports a 1.50 earned run average over 24 innings against LA, had won six
straight starts before losing to Houston last Wednesday in a 3-2 setback. He
allowed all three runs and six hits in seven innings.
The right-hander fell to 16-9 in 27 starts and raised his ERA slightly from
2.16 to 2.22. Halladay is 6-4 in 11 road starts this season.
Los Angeles dropped the last two portions of a three-game set at Colorado
following a four-game winning streak, but now has more on its mind with the
reported loss of slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez.
Baseball sources have confirmed to MLB.com that Ramirez, who's been on and off
the disabled list this season, will become a member of the Chicago White Sox
on Monday. He was placed on waivers by the Dodgers earlier in the week and the
White Sox won the exclusive rights to Ramirez on Friday. The Dodgers have
until Tuesday to work out a trade with Chicago, pull him off waivers and keep
him with the club or let him go and get nothing back in return.
Ramirez was batting .311 with eight homers and 40 RBI in 66 games for Los
Angeles this season.
The Dodgers pounded out 13 hits in Sunday's 10-5 loss to the Rockies, as Scott
Podsednik and Matt Kemp both finished with three hits in defeat. Ryan Theriot
drove in two runs and Ted Lilly suffered his first loss in a Dodger uniform,
yielding seven runs and nine hits in just four innings.
"One of those days when I wasn't throwing the ball that well," Lilly said on
LA's site after winning his first five starts with the club. "It would have
been nice to find a way to give up two runs, or three or five. Not seven."
Los Angeles, which is 6 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the wild card
standings, will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound Monday. Kuroda was 0-3 in five
starts before defeating Milwaukee the previous time out last Wednesday, when
he was touched for four runs in seven innings of a 5-4 win.
Kuroda, a right-hander, pushed his 2010 mark to 9-11 in 25 starts to go along
with a 3.56 ERA. He is 1-0 in three career starts against Philadelphia.
The Phillies won two of three meetings with Los Angeles at Citizens Bank Park
earlier this month and, of course, beat the Dodgers in each of the past two
National League Championship Series.
<< Padres seek to snap season-long skid in clash with D-Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres are mired in a season-high losing
streak and look to get back on track tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks
in the opener of a three-game series between division foes at Chase Field.
The National L
<< Braves carry momentum into opener with Mets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Count the Braves as fans of instant replay.
After a reversed call helped Atlanta maintain a two-game edge for first place
in the National League East, the Braves look to make it three victories in a
row this evening in
<< Giants continue string of NL West games against Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing against division opponents hasn't helped much for
the San Francisco Giants and their quest for a playoff berth. Tonight they'll
continue their tour through the familiar National League West with the first
of three str
<< Cubs to honor Dawson; open series vs. Buccos
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though the season is a lost one for the Cubs, they will
still try to make Monday's opener with the Pirates a special one. Standing in
the way is Pittsburgh starter Paul Maholm, who aims for a fourth victory in as
many st
<< Yankees return home, open set with Athletics
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees are back in the Bronx and have some
favorable matchups ahead starting with tonight's opener of a four-game series
versus the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees will also host Toronto and
NL Central-leading Reds seek a win over Wolf, Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In winning 11 of their last 15 games the Reds now own
their largest division lead this season.
Perhaps that momentum can help them solve Brewers starter Randy Wolf.
Cincinnati will try to defeat Wolf for the f
Pettitte's health the key to the Yankees repeating >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the New York Yankees hope to win a second
straight world championship they'll need a healthy and productive Andy Pettitte
on the mound come October. Before the 38-year old lefty went down with a
strained groin
Nats hand ball to Marquis in Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite pitching well over his last two starts, Nationals
hurler Jason Marquis is still searching for his first victory in nearly a
year. Unfortunately, tonight's opponent, the Marlins, have given him issues
over th
Rays host Jays in series opener at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Youngster Wade Davis makes his second start since returning
from the disabled list tonight, when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue
Jays in the opener of a three-game home series at Tropicana Field.
A soon-to-be 25
First-place Rangers, Royals square off in KC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Texas Rangers can get their road record to
.500 and maintain a stranglehold on the American League's West Division
tonight, when they visit the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game
series
Since the late 1990's, MySportsbook.com has been an online sportsbook / poker room / casino that focuses on quality.. MySportsbook caters to the experienced sports fan who values reliability and accuracy, with great attention to detail. MySportsbook's success over the past 3 years has made them the envy of the sports gambling industry. There are hundreds of sites appearing all over the Internet claiming to be the next best sportsbook online, each one is trying to use the same marketing techniques as MySportsbook originated.
If you want to try the most stylish and reliable type of online sportsbook, go with MySportsbook. Most online sportsbooks give you live odds and plenty of games and events to bet on, at MySportsbook they'll give you that and more. While perfection may be a lofty goal, MySportsbook attempts to achieve that goal. All sorts of ways to bet on football, football betting, Super Bowl betting lines.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
|