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07/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There haven't been positives for the Baltimore Orioles this season, but the club does hit the road for 10 straight knowing they just wrapped up their recent homestand above .500.
Those good feelings could be dispatched rather quickly against the hurting but still talented Boston Red Sox, who play host to the Orioles for three straight games beginning tonight at Fenway Park.
Though they are still a major-league worst 24-54 on the season, the Orioles are coming off a 5-4 homestand that featured a season-high four-game win streak. They had won five of six heading into Thursday's rubber match with Oakland, but the Athletics battered O's starter Jake Arrieta for four runs -- three earned -- over six innings in an 8-1 Oakland victory.
"I just have to learn to trust my stuff a little bit more, stop being so picky around the zone and trust that it's good enough to get these guys out," said Arrieta after allowing seven hits and four walks.
Baltimore played minus designated hitter Luke Scott, who was placed on the disabled list after he suffered a left hamstring strain running the bases during his go-ahead homer in Wednesday's contest.
Nick Markakis drove in Baltimore's only run, while Corey Patterson had a pair of hits and scored to stretch his hitting streak to six games. He is batting .500 (12-for-24) during that stretch, but is just 1-for-12 against tonight's starter for Boston, Tim Wakefield.
Wakefield will try to extend Boston's home dominance of the Orioles as the Red Sox took two of three from them in late April and are 23-7 against Baltimore at Fenway Park since the start of the 2007 season.
The right-handed Wakefield, though, is 0-2 over his last three starts with a 4.35 earned run average and is coming off Friday's loss to the Giants. Wakefield gave up four runs -- three earned -- on 11 hits over seven innings to fall to 2-6 on the season with a 5.21 ERA. He is also 0-4 with a 6.51 ERA in nine games at home and hasn't won there since July 8, but will surpass Roger Clemens tonight for the most starts at Fenway Park with 201.
The 43-year-old started against Baltimore on April 25 and got a no-decision despite 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball, but was later drilled for five runs on five hits and three homers over just 2 1/3 innings of relief versus the Orioles on May 1.
Markakis, Scott and Ty Wigginton have all homered off the knuckleballer this season.
Wakefield might be throwing to Kevin Cash this evening after the catcher was acquired from Houston on Thursday for infielder Angel Sanchez. Cash played with Boston from 2007-08, so he has experience handling Wakefield.
Boston went out and got Cash due to injuries to starting catchers Victor Martinez (thumb) and Jason Varitek (foot). Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is also sidelined because of a left foot injury, while the Red Sox have played a majority of this season without outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (rib) and starter Josh Beckett (back).
Still, Boston is just 1 1/2 games back of first-place New York in the American League East.
"We've (recovered from injuries) before," said Ortiz, who doubled twice and had three RBI in Wednesday's 9-4 loss to Tampa Bay that ended Boston's three- game win streak. "This is a long season and anything can happen. We have guys in this clubhouse that can play the game. We play 162 games, and we are at 78, 79. It's on, baby."
Oritz has picked up the slack for the Red Sox as of late, as he has seven RBI in his last three games and is hitting .333 (17-for-51) over his last 16 games with five homers and 18 RBI.
He is 3-for-8 with a homer against Baltimore's Brad Bergesen, who seeks his first win since May 12 tonight.
The 24-year-old is 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA over his last seven appearances, including five starts and returned from a stint in with Triple-A Norfolk to yield five runs over four innings of a no-decision versus Washington on Saturday.
Bergesen is 3-4 with a 6.83 ERA this season, but that does include a win over Boston on May 1 despite giving up four runs over five innings. The righty is 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three career meetings versus the Red Sox, but is just 1-2 with an 8.64 ERA in four 2010 road starts.
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.
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