Cardinals fight off Reds, move into deadlock for first place
Baseball Betting Lines
08/10/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday had four hits, scored a run and drove in three as the Cardinals knocked off Cincinnati, 8-4, in a game marred by a brawl between the two NL Central rivals in the opening inning.
Yadier Molina homered and drove in a pair of runs while Albert Pujols walked twice, scored twice and knocked in a run for the Cardinals, who have won the first two games of the three-game set to draw even with the Reds for the top spot in the standings.
Jaime Garcia (10-5) picked up the win after yielding four runs on a pair of hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings for the Redbirds, who got 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief from the bullpen to sew up their fourth win in five games. Ryan Franklin was called on to get the final out and earned his 20th save.
Johnny Cueto (11-3) was tagged with the loss, his first since June 18, after allowing five runs -- four earned -- on seven hits with four strikeouts for the Reds, who had won seven of eight entering the series.
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Uggla homered and drove in four runs, and the Florida Marlins pounded Stephen Strasburg in the rookie's return to the rotation, part of an 8-2 win over the Nationals. Hanley Ramirez doubled three
<< Pelfrey strong on mound as Mets edge Rockies
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling right-hander Mike Pelfrey tossed
seven scoreless innings and Jose Reyes knocked in the only run of the game
with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, as the New York Mets beat Ubaldo Jimenez
and th
<< Father of Indiana player killed in plane crash
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -Indiana tight end Paul Phillips has left campus to be with his family after his father was killed and one of his brothers survived the Alaskan plane crash that killed ex-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.Bill Phillips Sr. was one of five
<< Hellickson impressive again, Rays shut down Tigers
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Hellickson tossed seven scoreless
innings in his second major league start, as the Tampa Bay Rays dominated the
Detroit Tigers, 8-0, in the second test of a three-game series at Comerica
Park.
<< Braves' Jones leaves game
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones left
Tuesday's game against Houston in the bottom of the sixth with an apparent leg
injury.
Jones was hurt making a spectacular defensive play to throw out Hunter Penc
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Neymar scored 28 minutes into his debut for Brazil and Pato added the clinching goal, as two players left off the FIFA World Cup roster scored in a 2-0 win over the United States on Tuesday night. Eight
Colts' Saturday has knee surgery >>
Anderson, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts announced Tuesday that
center Jeff Saturday underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery to remove
a loose body.
The team didn't say which knee Saturday had repaired or how long th
Lowell, Lowrie lead BoSox over Jays in Toronto >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Lowell hit the go-ahead home run and Jed
Lowrie added an insurance RBI double in the eighth inning, as Boston clipped
Toronto, 7-5, in the opener of a three-game set at Rogers Centre.
Lowrie and Lowel
Conrad an unlikely hero as Braves rally late to top Astros >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brooks Conrad, an injury replacement, clubbed a
two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, as the Atlanta Braves rallied to
beat Houston, 4-2, in the second portion of a three-game series at Minute Maid
Park.
Ethier leads 18-hit attack as Dodgers down Phillies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Ethier finished 4-for-4 with four
runs scored and three RBI while Casey Blake homered and posted four RBI, as
the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 15-9, in the
opener
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.