A's try to pitch their way to sweep of Indians
Baseball Betting Lines
08/26/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vin Mazzaro hopes to continue one of the best strings of starting pitching in Oakland Athletics history this evening, when the team goes for a sweep of its three-game series with the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.
Athletics starters have allowed three runs or less and have gone at least six innings in each of the last 17 games, the longest such streak in Oakland history. It's the longest such streak by the franchise since the 1927 Philadelphia Athletics did it 18 times in a row.
That trend continued on Wednesday, when Trevor Cahill continued his sensational season by turning in yet another quality start in Oakland's 6-1 win. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a three-run double to punctuate a five-run first inning that helped the A's win for the sixth time in eight games, though they remained 8 1/2 games back of first-place Texas in the American League West. The Rangers beat Minnesota on Wednesday.
Cahill (14-5) went seven innings, allowing seven hits -- which tied a season- high -- and one unearned run with two walks and two strikeouts. In his last six starts, he has a 5-1 record and a 0.77 earned run average.
"He didn't really have the command that he's had lately, but he had real good movement and got a lot of ground balls," A's manager Bob Geren said of Cahill. "Seven innings and one run? That's pretty good."
Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the lone run for the Indians, who have lost five straight. Mitch Talbot (8-11) extended his winless skid to eight starts after allowing six runs, six hits and three walks in six innings.
Mazzaro comes into tonight's matchup winless in his last five starts (0-3) and 6-5 with a 3.56 ERA on the year. He pitched well without getting a decision Friday against Tampa Bay, which reached him for three runs (one earned) and three hits in 6 1/3 frames of a 5-4 A's win.
He beat the Tribe back on July 4 and is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts versus them.
Cleveland will counter with righty Justin Masterson, who is 4-12 with a 5.33 ERA on the year. Masterson absorbed another loss Friday in Detroit, as he was hammered for five runs and 11 hits in six innings.
Masterson is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in six games (two starts) against the A's. He is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts against AL West opponents this year, including an 11-0 rout at the hands of the A's on April 25 in which he gave up seven runs in four innings.
The A's are 6-2 against Cleveland this season and have won 11 of the past 15 matchups between the two teams.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park has been a house of horrors for visiting clubs in recent weeks, but the Houston Astros certainly haven't seemed to be intimidated. The Astros will attempt to produce their first four-game
<< With Manny rumors swirling, Dodgers wrap up set with Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will be wrapping up the first leg
of a two-city road trip this afternoon. Whether Manny Ramirez is still with
the team for the second stage of the trek remains to be seen.
With Ramirez's immediate f
<< Padres go for another sweep of Diamondbacks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have built a comfortable lead atop the
National League's West Division, and their performance at home against the
Arizona Diamondbacks has certainly played a part in the team's rise to first
place.
Th
<< U.S. set to kick off Worlds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States National Team will kick off the 2010 FIBA
World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday when they take on Croatia
in Group B play.
Team USA, which is led by defending NBA scoring champion Kevin Duran
<< FCS Season Preview: Patriot League
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colgate's free-spirited offensive lineman can
be more "The Gong Show" than "Dancing with the Stars."
While the Raiders have their eye on making the FCS playoffs this season, junior
Kevin Morgan doesn't always
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers attempt to start another winning streak when they open a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays this evening at Rogers Centre. The Tigers had their five-game winning streak stopped by Kansas City
Mets, Marlins ready for rubber match of divisional set >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anibal Sanchez tries to continue his terrific bounce-back
season this evening, when the Florida Marlins play the rubber match of their
three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
After winning 10 games and t
Rangers shoot for sweep of big series with Twins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins swept a three-game series from the
Texas Rangers back in May. The Rangers have a chance to do even better this
evening, when they attempt to take all four games from the Twins in finale of
this set between
White Sox vie for needed series win over Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles hope to play spoiler when they wrap
up their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox this evening at U.S.
Cellular Field.
After losing the first game of this series to the playoff-hopeful Whit
Arsenal's Wenger confirms addition of Squillaci >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed on
Thursday that French defender Sebastien Squillaci has completed his move from
Sevilla to the English Premier League club.
Wenger expects the 30-year-old Squilla
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.