Rangers silenced by O's Matusz
Baseball Betting Lines
08/19/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Roberts hit a two-run double in Baltimore's four-run seventh inning, and Brian Matusz silenced the Rangers over eight frames en route to a 4-0 whitewashing in the opener of a four-game series at Camden Yards.
Matusz (5-12) had his best outing of the season, yielding just five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. The young lefty had lasted at least seven frames only once in his previous 11 starts.
Corey Patterson had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who had lost four of five coming in.
Colby Lewis (9-10) was charged with four runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings to drop his fifth straight decision over a six-start span, though Texas has scored a total of seven runs in those games.
The Rangers have lost six straight on the road and four in a row overall. It was just the second time the American League West leaders were shut out all season.
Baltimore broke a stalemate with a four-spot in the seventh. Felix Pie, Matt Wieters and Patterson each singled with one out, the latter bringing in the game's first run with a sharp line drive to center.
After a groundout, Roberts lofted a soft liner to right that Brandon Boggs misplayed into a two-run double, ending Lewis's outing. Darren Oliver came in and surrendered a run-scoring base hit to Nick Markakis for a 4-0 contest.
Matusz, who threw 82 of his 115 pitches for strikes, retired the side in order in the eighth, and Koji Uehara survived a pair of hits in the ninth to complete the shutout.
The Orioles' best chance to score early on came in the third when they had the bases loaded with one out, and Lewis struck out Markakis and Ty Wigginton.
Offense was also tough to come by for the Rangers, who ran themselves out of a run-scoring opportunity in the sixth when Andres Blanco tried to stretch a gapper to right into a triple. The relay throw to third was late, but Wigginton blocked the bag for the out. Wigginton and Blanco had a few heated words with one another before cooler heads quickly prevailed.
Game Notes
Rangers third baseman Michael Young returned after missing two straight games with a stiff neck and went 1-for-4...Texas is 12-22 against the American League East this season...Pie and Wieters each had two hits for Baltimore...Vladimir Guerrero had the only multi-hit game for Texas, going 2- for-3 with a walk...The only other time the Rangers were shut out came on May 15 when Ricky Romero blanked them in a 6-0 decision.
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Betting Football
NFL 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.