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07/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since early last week the Detroit Tigers have been able to win after losing consecutive games. The Tigers hope that trend continues when they try to put the brakes on a brief skid tonight in the opener of a three- game series versus the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park.
Detroit won the opener of a crucial three-game series with the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins before dropping the next two portions of the series to fall one game back off the top spot in the division. It was then outscored 16-5 in the next two games and is coming off Wednesday's 5-1 decision at Target Field.
"It's a good team over there, but we didn't execute so we got beat," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "Before it was because it was the Metrodome, now it's this new place. They played better than us in two of the three, we played them better in one of the three."
Miguel Cabrera knocked in the only run and Andrew Miller fell to 0-2 on the season after allowing five runs -- two earned -- and eight hits in six innings of work. The Tigers went 3-6 on a nine-game road trip and will now play nine straight at home versus the Mariners, Orioles and Twins. The are 25-11 in Motown this season.
Max Scherzer is 3-2 in six starts at home for Detroit and will take the ball Friday. He is unbeaten in his last three starts (2-0) and did not figure into the decision his last time out in a 4-3 loss at Atlanta on Saturday. Scherzer threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and has struck out at least eight batters in three straight trips to the mound. He is 4-6 overall with a 5.26 ERA.
The right-hander faced Seattle for the first time in his career back on April 18 this season from Safeco Field, and held the Mariners to a pair of runs in six innings of a 4-2 decision.
Seattle's six-game winning streak is in the past and it will try to regroup in tonight's series opener. The Mariners failed in their bid for a three-game sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx, as David Aardsma gave up Alex Rodriguez's go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning.
"I've attacked him in the past with very good results. The way he hit it, he did it right smack on the middle of the bat and it went right out of the ballpark," said Aardsma. "In this park, anything up in the air (can be a home run)...he's a very strong guy who can drive the ball pretty well. He was strong enough to hit that one out."
Russell Branyan knocked in both runs and Milton Bradley ended with a team-high two hits for the Mariners, losers in four of their last seven games.
The Mariners, who are last in the AL West Division, own a 3-3 mark on their current nine-game road trip. They will hand the ball to Doug Fister in Friday's series opener and he's just 0-2 in his last four starts. He did not record a decision the previous time out in Saturday's 5-4 win at Milwaukee, as he permitted four runs and five hits in four innings.
Fister, a right-hander, faced Detroit for the first in his career on May 25 this season and posted a no-decision after giving up three runs (2 earned) and nine hits over seven frames.
Seattle has won four of five matchups with Detroit this season and seven of the past 10 games between the ballclubs.
<< Reds, Cubs resume set at Wrigley
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A current veteran Cincinnati pitcher squares off against a
former veteran Cincinnati pitcher today when the Reds visit Wrigley Field to
meet the Chicago Cubs in game two of a four-game series.
The Reds won Thursday's open
<< Moyer tries to get Phils on track in Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After closing out May with three straight losses, the month
of June was a different story for Phillies veteran Jamie Moyer. Moyer will
look to continue his success in July when he takes the mound tonight in the
continuation o
<< Celtics sign top draft pick Avery Bradley
BOSTON (AP) -The Boston Celtics have signed top draft pick Avery Bradley.Bradley was the No. 19 overall selection in last week's NBA draft.Bradley was a shooting guard in his only year at Texas. He will serve as Rajon Rondo's understudy at point gua
<< Report: Pierce reaches agreement with Celtics
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics and forward Paul Pierce have
reportedly reached an agreement on a new contract.
The Boston Herald reports the sides reached an agreement for four years, with
options for the club and Pierce
Lincecum aims to bounce back as Giants continue set with Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Lincecum tries to bounce back from one of the worst
outings of his career this evening when the San Francisco Giants continue
their four-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Lincecum lasted just three
Nats hope to deal Mets, Niese another loss >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals continued to be a thorn in the
side of the New York Mets in the opener of this set on Thursday. Tonight, Jon
Niese tries to get the Mets back on track and win his fifth straight decision
in the second
New-look D-Backs play host to Dodgers in Gibson's debut as manager >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks will have a new manager in place
this evening when they open a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers
at Chase Field.
With the Diamondbacks 17 games under .500 at 31-48 and 15 games back of
Latos tries to stay hot as Padres take on Oswalt and the Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos is emerging as one of the best young pitchers in
baseball.
Tonight he tries to win his fourth straight decision against one of the better
pitchers in the National League over the past decade in Roy Oswalt, as the
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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