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Rockies try to pin ninth straight loss on reeling PadresBaseball Betting Lines09/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres try to avoid a ninth straight loss this afternoon, when they play the middle test of their three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. San Diego's slide continued in the opener of this set on Friday, as Jason Giambi and Troy Tulowitzki each hit two-run homers that lifted the Rockies to a 4-3 win. Aaron Cook (5-8), who was activated off the disabled list to make the start, got the win after limiting the Padres to two runs on four hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. The Rockies, who snapped a three-game skid, now trail the Padres by 6 1/2 games in the National League West. San Diego, though, did not lose any ground to second-place San Francisco, as the Giants lost to Los Angeles on Friday and still sit three games behind the Padres. "I think you saw [Friday] we played a good crisp game," said Padres skipper Bud Black. The intensity is there, the focus is there, our guys want to win. I don't see us pressing." Cory Luebke (0-1) made his major league debut for San Diego and pitched five innings in taking the loss. He walked two and allowed five hits, two of which were Colorado home runs. Heading to the hill for the Padres this evening will be righty Jon Garland, who had a three-start winning streak stopped the last time he pitched. Garland was defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies last Saturday, as he allowed three runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 3-1 setback. Garland lost to the Rockies the last time he faced them and is 1-1 with a 3.66 ERA in three starts against them. Colorado will counter with righty Jason Hammel, who is 9-7 with a 4.32 ERA. Hammel earned his first win since August 6 Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, holding them to a pair of runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames. He struck out seven and walked three in the win. Hammel defeated the Padres back on July 10 and is 2-0 lifetime against them with a 4.84 ERA in eight games, seven of which have been starts. Colorado has won nine of its 13 meetings with the Padres in 2010, including wins in five of the seven matchups held in San Diego.
<< Cards seek to gain further ground on first-place Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Wainwright tries once again to become the National League's first 18-game winner when the St. Louis Cardinals continue their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds today at Busch Stadium. Like his team, Wainwri
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson hopes for a better result than the last time he faced Atlanta when he and the Florida Marlins continue their three-game set with the Braves tonight at Sun Life Stadium. Johnson surrendered just three hits and
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule 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. |
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