05/10/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Saunders will try to continue his dominating efforts for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight, when they battle the Tampa Bay Rays in the second contest of a three-game stint at Tropicana Field.
Saunders has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball, as the southpaw enters this matchup with a tremendous 6-0 record and an equally impressive 2.61 ERA. Over his previous two seasons, Saunders recorded a 15-8 ledger in 31 starts with an ERA well over four runs per contest.
The 26-year-old actually ran into some trouble in his last start, surrendering four runs on a whopping 12 hits in just five innings of duty against Baltimore. Despite the mediocre showing, however, Saunders and the Angels were able to snag a 6-5 victory.
One of the biggest reasons for Saunders' success is due to his play on the road, as the lefty is currently 3-0 with a strong 2.33 ERA. In 19 1/3 innings of work away from home Saunders has allowed only five runs.
As for the Rays, Scott Kazmir will be making his second start since coming off the disabled list. Tampa is hoping for a better outcome from its ace hurler, as the southpaw was rattled in his season debut.
Against Boston this past Sunday, the 24-year-old was battered by the Red Sox and surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks. Kazmir did strike out five batters, but lasted only four innings for Tampa, which eventually fell by a 7-3 margin.
Kazmir has two previous starts against the Angels in his career and the southpaw owns a 1-1 ledger with a 4.72 ERA.
On Friday, Evan Longoria hit the game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth and James Shields pitched a one-hit shutout as the Rays beat the Angels, 2-0.
Shields (4-2) was dominant throughout, retiring 25-of-27 batters with the exceptions being a Brandon Wood single in the third and a ball that hit Erick Aybar in the fourth. In addition to allowing only two baserunners, Shields, who retired the final 17 batters he faced, struck out eight.
It was Shields' second shutout in his last three starts. He threw a two-hitter in a 3-0 home win over the Red Sox on April 27. In his previous outing, Shields was charged with 10 hits and seven runs through 3 2/3 innings in a loss at Boston.
Tampa Bay matched a franchise record by winning its seventh straight home game. The Rays last won seven straight at home, June 9-26, 2004. The Rays have won three of their last four overall.
Los Angeles starter Jon Garland went toe-to-toe with Shields through eight scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and three walks while striking out two. The Angels have lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak.
Justin Speier (0-2) came on in the ninth for LA and gave up a leadoff single to right from Upton. Pena grounded out to first moving Upton to second. Longoria made sure of the outcome taking a Speier fastball into the seats in left-center to win the game and preserve Shields' extraordinary effort.
LA won six of eight from the Rays last season.
<< Yankees send Rasner to hill against Tigers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner will make his
second start of the season this afternoon, when he takes the hill in the
second contest of a three-game set with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
Rasner
<< Jays, Tribe continue set in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Currently sitting at the bottom of the AL East Division,
the Toronto Blue Jays will try to grab a victory this evening, when they take
on the Cleveland Indians in the second meeting of a four-game series at
Progres
<< Sheets, Brewers square off with Cards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Sheets will try to keep his perfect record intact this
evening, when he leads the Milwaukee Brewers in the second installment of a
four-game series versus the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park.
Sheets is 4-0 wit
<< Padres' Maddux goes for win No. 350 vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Maddux will try again for career win No. 350 when he
leads the San Diego Padres tonight in the second test of a three-game series
versus the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.
Maddux has lost two straight starts and
White Sox, Mariners to battle again at Safeco >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the midst of a 10-game road trip, the Chicago White Sox
will try to keep the good times rolling when they battle the Seattle Mariners
tonight in the second installment of a three-game set at Safeco Field.
While the W
Red Sox try to stop Twins at Metrodome >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle between division leaders resumes tonight, as the
Boston Red Sox will collide with the Minnesota Twins again in the second
installment of a four-game set at the Metrodome.
The Red Sox currently lead the AL
Olson leads O's against KC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles will try to continue their strong
play when they take on the Kansas City Royals in the third tilt of a four-game
series at Kauffman Stadium.
Garrett Olson will head to the hill for the O's for ju
Rangers, A's resume series in Arlington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers will try to continue their hot play when
they take on the Oakland Athletics this evening in the middle matchup of a
three-game set at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
In order for the Rangers to ext
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.
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