Big Unit put in charge of cooling off Howard, Phillies

Baseball Betting Lines

07/12/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard tries to continue his offensive onslaught when the Philadelphia Phillies resume their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

Howard belted his fourth home run in his last three games in Friday's opener, and Jayson Werth knocked in the winning run as the Phillies pulled out a 6-5 win in 12 innings. Werth ended with three hits, while Shane Victorino was 3- for-6 with a pair of RBI and finished a home run short of the cycle for Philadelphia, which has won three in a row coming off a four-game slide.

The former MVP Howard finished 2-for-5, including his major league-best 28th home run, and has belted nine homers and driven in 19 runs during a career high-tying 14-game hitting streak.

Rudy Seanez (4-3) took the win with a perfect top of the 12th, as he and five other Philadelphia relievers followed Kyle Kendrick's 6 1/3 innings of work, in which the Phils starter allowed four runs on nine hits.

Miguel Montero had a three-hit night for Arizona, while Emilio Bonifacio recorded a pinch-hit two-run double. Hudson, Stephen Drew, Chad Tracy and Alex Romero each had a pair of hits in defeat.

Connor Robertson was credited with the loss, while the D-Backs' Doug Davis took a no-decision in his six-inning start. Davis gave up three runs on five hits and four walks to go with four strikeouts for Arizona, which had won three of four coming in.

Hoping to keep Philadelphia in the win column today will be right-hander Adam Eaton, who is 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA. Eaton fell for the fourth time in his last five starts Monday against the New York Mets, as he was hammered for eight runs (6 earned) and 10 hits in just 2 2/3 innings.

Eaton lost to the D'Backs earlier in the season and is just 3-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 14 starts against them.

Arizona will counter with left-hander Randy Johnson, who won for the first time in nine starts in his last trip to the hill on Sunday. Johnson snapped a six-start losing streak when he allowed a run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings against San Diego, which ran his season record to 5-7 and lowered his ERA to 5.18.

Johnson also struck out 10 to help him pick up career win No. 289, moving him past Tommy John for sole possession of 24th place on the all-time list.

The five-time Cy Young Award winner defeated Eaton and the Phils earlier this year and owns a 10-3 lifetime mark against Philadelphia with a 2.61 ERA in 19 starts.

Arizona has lost three of its five games with the Phillies this season after winning five of the six matchups between the teams a year ago.

Cbaaports Baseball Betting News

<< White Sox try to maintain division lead in middle tilt with Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox desperately try to hold on to their lead in the American League Central heading into the All-Star break as they take yet another shot at the Texas Rangers in the second test of a three-game set at Ranger

<< Cornet and Klepac reach Budapest final
Budapest, Hungary (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Frenchwoman Alize Cornet and Slovenian Andreja Klepac were both semifinal winners on Saturday at the $175,000 Gaz de France Grand Prix tennis tournament. Cornet had no problem advanc

<< Maddux hopes to add to Atlanta's road woes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Maddux helped the Atlanta Braves win 10 division titles, three National League pennants and one World Series during his remarkable 11-year tenure with the organization. Tonight the future Hall of Fame pitcher will try t

<< Volquez makes final start before break against Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edinson Volquez will make a final tune-up before next week's All-Star Game when the Cincinnati Reds standout leads his team into another matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers from Miller Park. Volquez earned his first career

<< Astros play second of three in DC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After an extended night for the team's bullpen, the Houston Astros will be counting on some quality innings out of Wandy Rodriguez in tonight's middle test of a three-game set with the host Washington Nationals. Roy Osw

Cards hoping for repeat mound effort in game two with Bucs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Wellemeyer tries to follow up Kyle Lohse's brilliant performance of the previous night when the St. Louis Cardinals play the middle test of their three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates this evening

Royals resume series with lowly Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Continuing to sport the worst record in the American League, the disappointing Seattle Mariners will try their best to find some semblance of an offense tonight, when they play the second of a three-game set against

Kuroda hoping for repeat as Dodgers search for win over Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hiroki Kuroda tries to follow up a sensational effort his last time out when the Los Angeles Dodgers play the second of their three-game series with the Florida Marlins tonight at Dodger Stadium. On Monday against Atla

Garza to try to end Rays' struggles in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While there's never really a good time to be suffering through a losing streak, the Tampa Bay Rays have chosen the end of the first half of the season to have their worst stretch. The club now has lost five in a row

Astros sign draft pick Castro >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros announced that they have agreed to terms with catcher Jason Castro, the team's first-round selection in the 2008 draft, on Saturday. The 20-year-old Castro, who was picked

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is 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.