Reds return home to face slumping D-Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Dan Haren looks for a measure of midseason revenge tonight, when his Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Cincinnati for the opener of a three-game series with the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Haren, a 16-game winner last season, was beaten 3-1 by the Reds in his initial meeting with them this season, on May 12 in Phoenix. He gave up six hits and three runs over seven innings in the loss, which dropped him at the time to 3-4.
He's won three of four decisions since, however, beating Atlanta, Houston and Kansas City and kick-starting a six-start stretch on May 28 in which he's allowed two earned runs or fewer in each outing.
In his last start, a 2-1 loss to Texas on Wednesday, Haren gave up just four hits and two runs in seven innings, while walking one batter and striking out eight.
He is 1-2 lifetime against the Reds in five appearances, including four starts.
For Cincinnati, right-hander Bronson Arroyo once again looks for a win on the heels of a poor outing.
The Key West, Fla. native was tagged for eight hits and six earned runs in Wednesday's start at Toronto, in which he lasted just 3 2/3 innings of an 8-2 Reds loss. Previously, he'd beaten the Chicago White Sox after allowing just two hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Arroyo beat the Diamondbacks for the first time in his career on May 11, allowing 10 hits and five runs in seven innings of a 13-5 triumph. He is 1-2 against them in seven lifetime appearances, including five starts.
Overall, in his last three wins, Arroyo has allowed 12 hits and four runs in 23 2/3 innings. In his last three losses, he's given up 26 hits and 18 runs in 14 innings.
Arizona enters this series after being swept in three games at home by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In Sunday's finale, Maicer Izturis went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and three runs scored as the Angels hung on to beat the Diamondbacks, 12-8.
Gerardo Parra and Miguel Montero each had a pair of hits and two RBI for the Diamondbacks, who lost their fifth straight game and eighth of their last nine contests. Tony Clark stroked a two-run double for Arizona, which had 15 hits in the game. Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds each knocked in a run in defeat.
Diamondbacks starter Max Scherzer (5-5) got blasted in 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight runs -- three earned -- on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts to take the loss. Scherzer had a three-start winning streak snapped.
Cincinnati was also last in action on Sunday, when Brandon Phillips went 3- for-5 with three runs batted in and three runs scored as the Reds breezed past the Indians, 8-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at Progressive Field.
Jonny Gomes hit a two-run homer and Ramon Hernandez went 3-for-5 with three RBI for the Reds, who have won three of four since dropping the previous four games.
Micah Owings (5-8) picked up the win after going six-plus innings. The right- hander allowed a run on five hits, walked four and struck out four. He had lost five of the last six decisions coming into the contest, but improved to 2-6 in his last nine road appearances.
Cincinnati swept a three-game series from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix from May 11-13 and has won five in a row and seven of its last eight matchups with Arizona.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays bested one of the best pitchers in the majors last night and will try to duplicate that success Tuesday, when they resume a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Rays knoc
<< Yankees host Mariners in the Bronx
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-throwing right-hander Joba Chamberlain tries again for
win No. 1 on his new home field tonight, when the New York Yankees host the
Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Chamberlai
<< Indians send Lee to hill vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Cliff Lee goes for two straight wins over Chicago and
three straight overall when his Cleveland Indians host the White Sox tonight
in the middle game of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
The American Leag
<< Cubs, Pirates resume series in the Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs will try to get back to the .500 mark this
evening, when they resume a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates
at PNC Park.
Chicago ended a two-game losing streak with Monday's 3-1 win over the Pi
<< Boston's Smoltz tries again for win at Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Smoltz will be attempting to atone for a shaky debut
in a Boston Red Sox uniform when the star pitcher takes the mound for
tonight's clash with the Baltimore Orioles from Camden Yards.
Smoltz's first major
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of rookies face their respective opponents - and each other - for the first time tonight, when the Washington Nationals visit the Florida Marlins for the middle test of a three-game series at Land Shark Stadium. Th
Phils head to Atlanta for NL East clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies will close out the last portion
of their current road trip with the first of three straight games against the
NL East-rival Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Philadelphia is 2 1/2 games ahead of the
Brewers aim to extend Mets' recent misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Milwaukee Brewers are improving their stance in
the National League Central, they're making it very difficult for the New York
Mets to climb the NL East standings.
The NL Central-leading Brewers will resume a thr
Johnson, Giants vie for another win over reeling Cards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless lefty Randy Johnson seeks a third straight win and
a fifth in six decisions tonight, when the San Francisco Giants visit Busch
Stadium for game two of four against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants won the o
Seattle's Jaqua wins MLS Player of the Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua claimed
Major League Soccer's Player of the Week award for Week 15.
Jaqua tallied two goals and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory over the Colorado
Rapids in front of mo
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)
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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