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09/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays own the best road record of any team in the majors this season, in part due to their success at Baltimore's Camden Yards. The postseason contenders will have their sights set on another victory over the homestanding Orioles when the two American League East foes continue a three-game series this evening.
Tampa Bay improved to 40-25 on the road and 6-1 at Camden Yards in 2010 by virtue of last night's 4-1 triumph. The victory, the fifth in the last six games for the Rays, kept Joe Maddon's club 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the race for home-field advantage throughout the upcoming AL Playoffs as well as first place in the league's East Division.
Matt Garza (14-7) continued his own dominance of the Orioles in Friday's opener, with the Tampa hurler yielding one run over the first 5 2/3 innings to notch his 14th win of the season. Garza moved to 9-1 lifetime against Baltimore and 6-0 in eight starts at Camden Yards.
"He really utilized his changeup," Maddon said of Garza. "He was throwing it on some really odd counts, 2-2, 3-2 pitches, which prevented [the Orioles] from just sitting hard and I think that was the big difference [Friday]."
Carl Crawford paced the Rays offensively with three hits, including an RBI single in the top of the third that knocked in the game's first run. Reid Brignac finished 2-for-4 with a run-scoring base hit of his own for Tampa Bay, now 10-3 against the bottom-feeding Orioles so far this season.
Baltimore's Kevin Millwood (3-15) became the majors' first 15-game loser of the year after the veteran righty was reached for four runs and issued five walks in a 5 2/3-inning stint.
"Any time you walk five guys and hit a guy against a team like that, you're going to struggle to win," Millwood said afterward.
The Orioles have now dropped three in a row following a four-game winning streak and will call upon Jeremy Guthrie to end the team's skid. If the right- hander is able to duplicate the line of his most recent start, Baltimore should have a good chance of doing so.
Guthrie limited the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to four hits and a walk over 8 1/3 shutout innings to lead the O's to a 1-0 verdict this past Sunday. The effort continued a strong second half for the former first-round draft choice, as he's now 5-2 with an excellent 2.51 earned run average in nine outings following the All-Star break.
The 31-year-old also shut down the Rays in a matchup in St. Petersburg last month, surrendering a mere two hits over six scoreless innings in Baltimore's 5-0 win on August 13. Guthrie did struggle in two subsequent starts, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) over a combined 14 2/3 innings to suffer back-to-back defeats to Seattle and the Chicago White Sox, before rebounding with last weekend's gem.
For his career, Guthrie is 4-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) versus Tampa Bay.
James Shields draws the assignment for the Rays tonight and has also put together a nice second-half surge. The durable righty has won six of eight decisions since the break and enters this contest riding a three-start winning streak.
Shields has pitched to a 2.75 ERA and fanned 24 batters in 19 2/3 innings over the course of his unbeaten stretch, which came after he was outdueled by Guthrie in that August 13 clash with the Orioles. In that game, the 28-year- old was tagged for four runs and 10 hits in only five frames.
In his latest start, Shields permitted three runs and struck out eight through 6 2/3 innings to defeat Boston on Sunday, six days after he registered 10 punchouts and tossed six innings of three-run ball (two earned) in a road win over the Angels.
Shields does sport a 7-3 record with a 3.32 ERA in 18 career encounters with the Orioles and has never lost at Camden Yards, having amassed a 4-0 mark with a 3.04 ERA in eight overall starts at the venue.
<< Rockies try to pin ninth straight loss on reeling Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres try to avoid a ninth straight loss
this afternoon, when they play the middle test of their three-game series with
the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.
San Diego's slide continued in the opener of this s
<< Cards seek to gain further ground on first-place Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Wainwright tries once again to become the National
League's first 18-game winner when the St. Louis Cardinals continue their
three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds today at Busch Stadium.
Like his team, Wainwri
<< Marquee mound matchup on tap in Angels-A's tilt
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- This afternoon's showdown between the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim and Oakland Athletics may have little effect on the American League
playoff race, but fans attending the Coliseum today should be treated to a
top-notch pit
<< Twins, Rangers continue high-stakes series of division leaders
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Target Field has been able to provide the Minnesota Twins
with a distinct advantage in its first year of existence, something the
current American League Central leaders would like to have during the first
round of the playo
Cellar-dwellers face off again in Bucs-Nats clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh lefty Paul Maholm can make it two straight wins
for the Pirates and end his own four-decision skid tonight, when the
Washington Nationals return to PNC Park for the middle test of a three-game
weekend series.
T
Tigers vie to break even in matchup with Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers can pull back to .500 in the midst of a
lengthy second-half slump tonight, when they visit Kauffman Stadium for the
second of three weekend games with the host Kansas City Royals.
The Tigers won Friday's
D-Backs host Astros, shoot for fifth straight win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recent trade acquisition Joe Saunders tries to make it two
wins in a row for the first time since arriving in Arizona tonight, when the
Diamondbacks meet the Houston Astros in the middle matchup of a three-game
weekend series
Dodgers hoping to further cripple Giants' playoff hopes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain tries to make it two straight wins against the
club that has given him more trouble than any other team in his young career
when the San Francisco Giants continue their three-game set against the Los
Angeles Dodgers
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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