Floyd attempts to slow down White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd will try to keep the good times rolling when he takes the mound this afternoon for the Chicago White Sox in the second meeting of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Floyd has won his last two starts for the White Sox, and is coming off an outstanding performance against Cleveland. In the 6-3 victory over the Tribe, Floyd tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering five hits, while also striking out five batters

Despite the recent run however, the right-hander has been inconsistent on the mound this year, posting a 6-5 ledger with a 4.12 earned run average.

Earlier this season Floyd was rocked by the Royals, surrendering six runs on six hits in five innings. In seven career appearances against KC, Floyd has struggled, posting a 1-4 mark with a terrible 4.35 earned run average.

After a slow start, Luke Hochevar will try to continue his solid pitching when he takes the mound for KC this afternoon. Hochevar opened the year with an 0-2 mark, but since then the right-hander has pushed his season ledger to 3-3 and has brought his earned run average down to 4.96.

Pitching against Chicago has been a nightmare for the young hurler however, as Hochevar has gone 0-2 in four outings against the Pale Hose, allowing 11 runs in 22 innings of work.

Last night, John Danks was dominant in 7 1/3 shutout innings, as the red-hot White Sox extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with a 5-0 blanking of the Royals.

Danks (7-6) has been one of the spark plugs for Chicago, going at least seven innings while allowing three or less runs in five consecutive starts. The southpaw allowed just five hits with five strikeouts and no walks to move above .500 for the first time since the beginning of May, when he was 2-1.

A. J. Pierzynski hit a solo homer in a 3-for-4 effort, while Scott Podsednik went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the White Sox, who have won 13 of their last 16 road contests.

David DeJesus and Luis Hernandez each had two of the Royals' six hits, as KC dropped its fourth straight game. Zack Greinke (10-4) failed to move out of the first-place tie for most wins in the AL after yielding four runs -- two earned -- on nine hits with a walk and six strikeouts in six innings.

Greinke's earned run average now stands at a season-worst 2.00.

"It happens to me every year. I pitch the best in the beginning (of the season), struggle in the middle and usually finish strong, too," Greinke said. "I don't know why, but that happens, it seems, every year."

Pierzynski put the White Sox on the board in the second, blasting a one-out solo shot to right.

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for Zack and what he's been able to do, especially this year," Pierzynski said of his homer. "He's the best pitcher I've seen this year. The bottom line is you've got to get a good pitch off of him."

Chicago has won five of seven matchups with the Royals held in Kansas City so far this season and swept a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium from May 29-31. Additionally, the White Sox enter this evening's tilt having won 13 of their last 16 overall road games.

Virtuslvegas Baseball Betting News

<< Rockies resume homestand with last-place Diamondbacks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Streaking Colorado right-hander Aaron Cook makes his 20th career appearance against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight, when the Rockies host their National League West Division foes at Coors Field for the middle test of a thre

<< Braves send Hanson to hill against Washington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie phenom Tommy Hanson looks for a fifth straight victory today when the Atlanta Braves visit our nation's capital for a holiday afternoon game with the host Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Hanson, who'll tur

<< Reds, Owings seek to slow down Pujols
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Brad Thompson starts against the Cincinnati Reds for the second time this season today when the St. Louis Cardinals head to Great American Ball Park for the middle test of a three-game series with their Nationa

<< With Manny return behind them, LA gets back to business in San Diego
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the return of Manny Ramirez now behind them, the Los Angeles Dodgers can get back to business, as they continue their three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Ramirez returned from a 50-game suspensi

<< BoSox try to bounce back against Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox will try to return to the win column when they host the Seattle Mariners this afternoon at Fenway Park. Boston's starter this afternoon will be Brad Penny, who has one win in his last six starts. The la

Floyd attempts to slow down Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd will try to keep the good times rolling when he takes the mound this afternoon for the Chicago White Sox in the second meeting of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Floyd

Echenique birdies the last for the lead in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Overnight leader Rafa Echenique birdied the last hole Saturday to hold on to his spot atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Open de France. Echenique shot a one-under 70 and finished 54 holes at

Nestor/Zimonjic beat Bryans for Wimbledon doubles crown >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic repeated as men's doubles champions at Wimbledon Saturday, beating the top-seeded American twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, in four sets. Nestor and

D'Backs activate Petit off DL for Saturday start >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have activated right-hander Yusmeiro Petit from the 15-day disabled list to start Saturday's game versus Colorado. Petit has been shelved since May 9 with a right shoulde

New jockey for Mine That Bird on the horizon >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chip Woolley, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, indicated Saturday that an announcement on a new rider for the three-year-old could come as soon as Sunday morning. Earlier in the week Ca

Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.

Betting the NFL preseason

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.