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Burnett, Yanks hope for case of deja vu against OriolesBaseball Betting Lines05/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Burnett tries to stay unbeaten on the season when the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles play the second test of their three- game series this evening at Yankee Stadium. Getting another win may not be much to ask of Burnett, who enters the contest with a terrific 10-2 lifetime mark against the O's. The talented right-hander was brilliant against Baltimore his last time out, when he scattered three hits over eight scoreless innings to get the win last Thursday, upping his season mark to 3-0 while lowering his earned run average to 2.43. "Burnett was blowing the ball in on right-handed hitter's hands, and he had a nasty breaking pitch. We got three hits and that's it," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. New York drew first blood in this series on Monday, as Randy Winn provided some rare power with a three-run homer and CC Sabathia threw eight strong innings to propel the Yanks to a 4-1 win. Sabathia (4-1) picked up the win after limiting the Orioles to one run -- a solo home run by Matt Wieters in the second inning. Overall he allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two in beating Baltimore for a second consecutive start. Sabathia had allowed three runs in 7 2/3 innings in a victory over the Orioles last Wednesday. Winn, meanwhile, entered Monday's game with just one hit in 13 at-bats this season, his first with the Yankees. Moreover, he hit only two homers and posted a .353 slugging percentage in 149 games with San Francisco last season. Monday, though, it was the bottom of the Yankees' lineup that provided the offense. Nick Swisher went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI from the seventh spot, while Brett Gardner was 1-for-2 with a walk while batting eighth. Winn batted ninth and delivered the big blow to lead New York to its fifth victory in its last six games. "The difference in the game was the bottom of their lineup," said Trembley. "Swisher had a great night, fouled off a lot of pitches, was good with two strikes. He was the key for them offensively. Not getting the bottom of the lineup out was the difference in the game." Despite the victory, the Yankees have several players dealing with injuries. Catcher Jorge Posada left after five innings and underwent an MRI exam Monday night, which revealed a mild right calf strain. He is considered day-to-day, but manager Joe Girardi stated that Posada would probably only be an emergency catcher until at least Friday. . Meanwhile, closer Mariano Rivera was not available for ninth-inning duties on Monday because of left-side tightness. Instead, Joba Chamberlain pitched the ninth to record his first save this season. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (0-4) took the loss after allowing four runs -- all of which came in the fourth inning. In seven innings, Guthrie allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two. Garrett Atkins had two hits for Baltimore, which had swept the Boston Red Sox over the weekend. Baltimore will pin its hopes tonight on rookie right-hander Brian Matusz, who was on the losing end of Burnett's masterpiece last Thursday. Matusz fell to 2-1 in that one, as he surrendered three runs and nine hits in six innings to raise his ERA to 4.40. Matusz, though, beat the Yankees late last season and is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against them. The Yankees took two of three from the Orioles at Camden Yards last week after winning 13 of the 18 matchups between the teams last season. Baltimore was just 2-7 in the Bronx a year ago.
<< White Sox to resume home set with division-rival Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try to string back-to-back wins together this evening, when they continue their three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox drew first blood in this series on M
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Betting FootballNFL 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. |
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