Rays top Phils, take two of three in WS rematch
Baseball Betting Lines
06/26/2009 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willy Aybar went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs batted in, as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Phillies, 10-4, in the rubber match of a three-game set between last season's World Series participants.
Aybar started at third base in place of Evan Longoria, who was held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons because of recent hamstring stiffness.
Jason Bartlett went 2-for-5 with an RBI, extending his career-high hitting streak to a club-record 19 games. He broke the original record held by Quinton McCracken.
Ben Zobrist had two hits -- including a two-run homer -- while Carl Crawford doubled twice, walked, and drove in two for the Rays, who have won four of five overall. Former Phillie Pat Burrell had two hits and an RBI in the win.
Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine (6-7) gave up four runs in the first inning, but held the Phillies scoreless for the remainder of his 5 1/3-inning outing. In total, Sonnanstine allowed six hits, walked one and struck out seven.
"I thought he did a nice job as the game [went on], he settled in nicely, he made better pitches," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Sonnanstine. "We've seen him do that this year...He's a professional, he settled himself down, and he put those zeros up and permitted us to come back."
The Phillies' early four-run lead evaporated as Philadelphia starter Antonio Bastardo (2-3) allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks in 3 2/3 frames, before he exited with an apparent injury.
Chad Durbin followed Bastardo and allowed three more runs in two innings, as the Phillies continued to struggle in interleague play. Since the most recent stretch began on June 12 they have lost 10 of 12 games, and been swept in two series (by Toronto and Baltimore).
Ryan Howard hit a two-run double for Philadelphia, while Pedro Feliz went 2- for-4 with an RBI.
The Phillies jumped on top in the first inning, when Greg Dobbs and Chase Utley hit consecutive one-out singles. Howard then blasted a ball deep to right-center field that bounced off the base of the wall, plating both runners.
Howard later scored on Matt Stairs' double, and Stairs crossed the plate on Feliz's RBI single.
But the Rays took over from there, getting three runs back in the bottom of the first. Burrell hit a two-out single and scored on Carlos Pena's double. Zobrist followed with a homer into the left field corner to make it a 4-3 game.
"We were focused. We came out, we got four runs tonight," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "The whole momentum of the game shifted when they put three [runs] back on the board...That's how the game goes, sometimes."
Aybar led off the second with a homer off the left field foul pole to even the contest, and Gabe Kapler followed with a double. Dioner Navarro's bloop single then put runners in scoring position with no outs.
After B.J. Upton popped out, Crawford plated a run with a double to left. Burrell hit a soft grounder back up the middle and was thrown out at first, but the play scored Navarro to give the Rays a 6-4 edge.
The Phillies wasted a scoring opportunity in the sixth when, with runners on the corners and one away, Eric Bruntlett hit a fly to center. Stairs aimed to tag up from third as Upton caught the ball, but Feliz ran all the way to second and was doubled up, ending the inning before Stairs crossed the plate.
The Rays then stole all the momentum, tacking on three runs in the home half. Bartlett had an RBI single, and Aybar followed with a two-run hit. Crawford's fielder's choice plated a run in the seventh to complete the scoring.
Game Notes
Phillies starting shortstop Jimmy Rollins was benched for Thursday's game because of recent poor play. Bruntlett started at short and went 0- for-4...McCracken had an 18-game hitting streak from August 18-September 9, 1998...Eight of Tampa Bay's 15 hits were for extra bases.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets made three separate deals to get a trio of players in the second round of Thursday night's NBA Draft. The Rockets obtained the draft rights of guard Jermaine Taylor, the 32nd overall pick,
<< Heat deal draft pick Thornton to Hornets
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shooting guard Marcus Thornton to the New Orleans Hornets for a pair of future
second-round picks.
Thornton was taken in the second round, 43rd overall. He helped LSU
<< Blazers send Rodriguez to Kings in draft day deal
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento
Kings consummated a trade on draft night.
The Blazers acquired the draft rights of forward Jeff Pendergraph from
Sacramento in exchange for guard Sergio Rodriguez and
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draft pick Ty Lawson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a future
protected first-round selection.
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<< Crowded leaderboard at ATB Financial Classic
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers dealt guard Patrick Beverly to the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick and cash. Beverly was selected with the 42nd pick. He played at Arkansas before leaving due to academic probl
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired the draft
rights to Robert Vaden (54th selection) from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange
for cash considerations.
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for the future second round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers that the
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Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Hedo Turkoglu has reportedly notified
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule 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.
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.