Angels rout Blue Jays
Baseball Betting Lines
07/05/2008 -
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Howie Kendrick finished 2-for-4 and drove in
three runs as Los Angeles drubbed Toronto, 8-2, in the first of a three-game
set.
Garret Anderson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored
for the Angels, winners in three straight and four of five. Torii Hunter
homered and scored twice while Gary Matthews Jr. and Maicer Izturis also
knocked in runs for the victors.
Jered Weaver (8-8) evened his record by allowing only two runs on six hits
with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
"I've been concentrating on location," Weaver said of his approach. "Things
have been going my way so let's not dwell on anything. Today was a good
stepping stone to what we can do."
Joe Inglett and Alex Rios knocked in a run each for the Blue Jays, who have
lost three in a row. A.J. Burnett (8-8) was rocked in the loss for 12 hits and
eight runs -- six earned -- over seven full frames.
Los Angeles blew the game open by scoring three times each in the sixth and
seventh, opening up an 8-0 advantage.
In the sixth, Vladimir Guerrero opened with a double and moved up on Marco
Scutaro's fielding error on Hunter's grounder. Two batters later Matthews
doubled down the line in left to score Guerrero, then Kendrick punched a
single to center which brought in two more.
Casey Kotchman started the Angels' next at-bat with a double and scored when
Izturis followed with a single. He was cut down trying to advance, but
Guerrero singled. Hunter lined out but Anderson stepped up and drilled a two-
run shot into the seats in right field.
"I squared up on some balls tonight," Anderson noted. "I like the other two
hits more than the homer because that means I'm staying on the ball. I'm
seeing good things and using my hands."
Weaver finally faltered in the eighth, allowing a one-out double by Scutaro
and a triple from Inglett which accounted for Toronto's first run. Justin
Speier was called on, but allowed an RBI single from Rios for an 8-2 game
before retiring Wells and Rolen to limit further damage.
Darren Oliver closed out the rout with a scoreless ninth.
The home team picked up a pair of runs in the second inning, as Hunter's solo
homer was followed by Kendrick's two-out RBI double.
Weaver retired 13 of 14 batters from Inglett's first-inning single until Lyle
Overbay's one-out double in the fifth. Although Rod Barajas singled to put two
runners on, the inning came to a close when Scutaro flew out.
Game Notes
The Angels have won five of the last seven meetings dating back to last
season...Toronto has lost 12 of its last 15 on the road...Every Angels starter
collected at least one hit.
<< Rapids roll to 4-0 win over Red Bulls
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark and Tom
McManus each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Rapids rolled to a 4-0
win over Red Bull New York on Friday to snap a four-game winless streak.
Omar Cum
<< Report: Duhon to become a Knickerbocker
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have reportedly agreed to a
two-year, full mid-level exception $12 million contract with guard Chris
Duhon.
The Chicago Tribune reported Friday that Duhon will sign with the Knicks wh
<< It's in the Cards: Cubs' Zambrano makes return
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs' ace Carlos Zambrano started
Friday's 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals after a two-week stint on
the disabled list with a strained right shoulder.
Zambrano, who returned from his first
<< Zambrano comes back strong as Cubs nip Cardinals
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano was impressive in his first
game back from the disabled list, and he shut down St. Louis as the Cubs beat
the Cardinals, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
Zambrano (9-3) pitched for
<< Tale of Two Cities: Surging Twins upend slumping Tribe
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young went 3-for-5 with a three-run
home run and finished with four runs driven in, and Nick Punto hit a solo home
run while also driving in four runs, as the Minnesota Twins crushed the
Clevela
Rockies top Marlins in slugfest >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta drove in four runs, including the
game-winner in the bottom of the ninth, as the Colorado Rockies trailed by as
many as nine runs but rallied for a wild, improbable 18-17 win over the
Florida
Cristman leads New England over L.A., Beckham >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Cristman scored two first-half goals and the
New England Revolution held off David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-1,
on Friday to win a battle conference leaders at The Home Depot Center.
Cristman s
Angels activate, option Bootcheck >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
activated relief pitcher Chris Bootcheck from the 15-day disabled list Friday
and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Bootcheck had been on the DL since June
Briscoe fastest in qualifying at Watkins Glen >>
Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Briscoe won the pole for Sunday's
Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. The No.6
Team Penske driver rounded the 3.37-mile road course in one minute, 29.3456
seconds
Williams sisters win third Wimbledon doubles title >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Venus and Serena Williams won their
third Wimbledon doubles title on Saturday with a straight-sets victory over
Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur.
Just hours earlier on Saturday, Venus defeated
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.
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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