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Braves head to Pittsburgh for key set with BucsBaseball Betting Lines09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A loss today could push the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves out of first place for the first time since May 30. They probably couldn't be happier to see the Pittsburgh Pirates. Atlanta aims to maintain its edge in the division standings and beat Pittsburgh for a sixth time in seven meetings this year when the two clubs start off a three-game set this afternoon at PNC Park. Losses in three of four games following five straight victories, as well as an 8-9 stretch since Aug. 19, have the Braves just one game up on the Phillies for first place. They could have entered this series tied with Philadelphia atop the standings after a 7-6 setback to Florida on Sunday, but the Phils were also defeated yesterday. However, the Phillies are scheduled to play a doubleheader with the Marlins today, so a loss by the Braves tonight and a sweep by the Phils would knock Atlanta out of the top spot. A loss by the Braves doesn't seem likely, though, as they took two of three in Pittsburgh from May 21-23 before capping the month with a three-game sweep over the Pirates at home. Atlanta has won eight of the last 11 overall meetings between the teams. The Braves rallied from a 6-0 deficit on Sunday, tying the game with a five- run sixth inning before Eric O'Flaherty served up the game-winning run in the 10th frame. Nate McLouth drove in three runs for Atlanta and nearly had more, as he was robbed of a grand slam in the sixth inning on a great defensive catch. Braves starter Mike Minor gave up six runs over just four innings of work. "Overall, I couldn't hit a spot." he said. "Everything was basically towards the middle of the plate, and it's easy enough to hit the ball when it's towards the middle of the plate." Tommy Hanson hopes to join in on the Braves' success over the Pirates when he faces the club for the first time in his young career this afternoon. The 24-year-old Hanson is coming off his first victory since July 3, as he ended an 0-5 stretch over 10 starts with a win over the Mets on Wednesday. He gave up just one hit and one walk over seven scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing a run or less for the sixth time in his last eight starts. "My pitches felt really good," said Hanson. "I worked really hard in between starts trying to get my fastball command going. I felt like I did that [Wednesday]." The right-hander aims for consecutive winning starts for the first time since a three-game win streak from May 26-June 5 and is 9-10 with a 3.60 ERA this season. Hanson will face a Pirates club that managed just a solo homer out of Pedro Alvarez in Sunday's 8-1 setback to Washington, Pittsburgh's seventh loss in nine games. Neil Walker did add three hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, a span in which he is hitting .415 (22-for-53) with four homers and 14 RBI. Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton lasted only 3 2/3 innings after yielding six runs -- two earned -- on eight hits with a pair of walks. "A little more aggressive," Pirates manager John Russell said about Morton's outing. "For the most part I thought he was better. Still not where we'd like to get him, but it's a step in the right direction. With Jeff Karstens unable to make the start tonight due to right shoulder soreness, Brian Burres will come out of the bullpen for the Pirates to his first start since May 29. "It just doesn't feel right," Russell told Pittsburgh's website of Karstens shoulder. "It's been a long year for him, and it's a little cranky." Burres faced the Braves in his last start, getting tagged for four runs over five innings to take the loss in his only career appearance against them. He was then demoted to the minors, but returned on Aug. 28. The 29-year-old lefty has made four relief appearances since his return, allowing six runs over four innings. On the season, Burres is 2-3 with a 6.31 ERA in 14 games, including seven starts.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After breaking out of a prolonged slump with four solid starts, New York Mets hurler Mike Pelfrey fell back into his struggling ways last time out. That is sort of how his team has been all season long. Pelfrey will try
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Minnesota Twins will attempt to extend their current winning streak to four games when the American League Central front-runners take on a team they've had plenty of success against this season, the Kansas City Royals, t
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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game. Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta. "Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed." To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
Sportsbooks to bet on footballRecently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it. He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games. "Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote. He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games. Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk. Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible. Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines. Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy. With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season. Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas). And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.) The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors. While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger. Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under. One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it. Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami. What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5. That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well. MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple. "The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money. "At the end of the day, we liked the home team." So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams. In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish. MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover. The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing. Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed. MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash. To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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