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Hudson, Buehrle square off in Windy CityBaseball Betting Lines06/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A matchup with one of the National League's top teams has yet to slow down the surging Chicago White Sox, who'll put a seven-game winning streak on the line when they resume a three-game series with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves tonight at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago kept up its recent winning ways and season-long success in interleague play with a 9-6 victory over the Braves in Tuesday's opener of this set. The win, the 11th in the past 12 contests for the White Sox, moved the team above the .500 mark for the first time since it prevailed in its April 5 season opener. The White Sox also moved within 4 1/2 games of Minnesota for first place in the American League's Central Division after the Twins lost to Milwaukee on Tuesday. Chicago had been 9 1/2 games off the pace back on May 8. Carlos Quentin belted a three-run homer and Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski and Alexei Ramirez also finished 3-for-4 for the White Sox, who pounded out 16 hits in improving to 11-2 in interleague games for the year. Both Pierzynski and Omar Vizquel drove in a pair of runs on the night. Chicago also received a solid seven innings out of John Danks (7-5), with the left-hander allowing three runs on six hits and walking just one to claim the win. "You don't want to be the guy to snap the streak," Danks said. "You don't want to be the weak link. We are all feeding off each other, and we're all throwing the ball well and hopefully we'll continue to do that the rest of the year." Braves starter Tommy Hanson (7-4) was far less effective then his counterpart, as the young standout was rocked for nine runs and 13 hits before exiting after just 3 2/3 innings. Brooks Conrad went 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace Atlanta offensively, with Martin Prado and Brian McCann each hitting solo homers in the loss. Prado ended 2-for-5 with two runs scored to raise his NL-leading batting average to .340. The Braves had a string of five straight wins snapped and saw its lead atop the NL East cut down to 1 1/2 games after the second-place New York Mets defeated Detroit on Tuesday. Atlanta will attempt to bounce back tonight behind Tim Hudson, one of the keys to the team's surge to the top of the NL East pack. The veteran right-hander has amassed a 6-1 record and a tremendous 2.00 ERA over his past 10 starts and hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in each of his 14 outings this season. His 2.34 overall ERA is the sixth-best mark among NL hurlers at the moment. Hudson put forth another outstanding effort this past Thursday, limiting Tampa Bay to one run and four hits over seven innings to earn his seventh victory of the season. The 34-year-old had suffered a loss in his previous start, even though he yielded just two runs in an eight-inning complete game at Minnesota on June 11. The two-time All-Star hasn't usually fared well in interleague play in recent years, however. Thursday's win was only Hudson's second in 14 decisions against AL teams since being acquired by the Braves from Oakland following the 2004 season, and he's registered a subpar 6.34 ERA in those games. The Alabama native has also had problems pitching at U.S. Cellular Field in the past, having gone 0-2 and surrendering a whopping 23 runs (20 earned) in 13 2/3 innings over three previous starts there. Hudson is 3-2 in seven lifetime meetings with Chicago, but hasn't faced the White Sox since 2002 while still with the Athletics. Mark Buehrle gets the call for Chicago tonight and like his team, the accomplished left-hander has performed well as of late following an undesired beginning to the season. Buehrle enters tonight's clash having won back-to-back assignments to improve his 2010 record to 5-6 and lower his season ERA to a still-pedestrian 4.71. He halted a three-start winless drought by firing 6 2/3 innings to best the rival Chicago Cubs June 12 at Wrigley Field, then held Pittsburgh to two runs over 7 1/3 strong frames in a victory at PNC Park on Thursday. Those two wins added to Buehrle's already-strong credentials in interleague action. The 31-year-old is now an excellent 22-6 with a 3.37 ERA in 36 all- time matchups (35 starts) against the National League. Buehrle's only previous start against the Braves took place in 2004 and was a successful one, as he picked up a win after permitting three runs through eight innings in a contest held at U.S. Cellular Field. The four-time AL All-Star will be trying to pitch Chicago to its first eight- game winning streak since May 14-22, 2008. These teams last opposed one another back in 2004, with the White Sox taking two of three games from the Braves in Chicago.
<< 2010 FBS Positional Analysis: Quarterbacks
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They probably get too much credit when things are going good, and too much blame when things aren't. But that's the nature of the quarterback position at every level, and the FBS is certainly no exception.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In addition to calling the same metropolitan area home, both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers hold the title of defending division champions. Only one of these teams has been playing like a contender
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Betting FootballNFL Football Betting OnlineIs 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.
FOOTBALL BETTINGAfter all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer. Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise. Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games. So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver. In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team. For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC. The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’. The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs. |
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