08/27/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson tries to move one step closer to magical win No. 300 this afternoon, as the Arizona Diamondbacks try to salvage the finale of their three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Johnson, at the age of 44, has given the D'Backs more than they ever expected from him, posting a 10-9 mark to go along with a 4.03 earned run average. Johnson has won six of his last eight starts and is just six wins shy of becoming the 24th pitcher to reach 300 wins.
The Big Unit was dominating on Friday against the Florida Marlins, holding them to three runs (1 earned) and five hits over seven innings, while striking out a season-high 13 batters. However, he did not factor in the decision of his team's 5-4 loss that night.
It was his 212th game with at least 10 strikeouts, ranking second all-time behind Nolan Ryan (215).
Johnson has faced the Padres 26 times (25 starts) over his magnificent career, going 16-5 against them with a 2.40 ERA.
San Diego, though, after working its way past Dan Haren in the opener of this set defeated NL Cy Young Award candidate Brandon Webb on Tuesday, as Brian Giles hit a three-run homer and Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in three runs, lifting the Padres to a 9-2 victory.
Chad Reineke (2-1) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on two hits to earn the victory for San Diego, which has won two straight on the heels of a seven-game skid. Chase Headley added a pair of RBI in the victory.
Mark Reynolds' two-run blast provided the only offense for the Diamondbacks, who have lost three straight and four of their last five games overall. Despite the setback, due to another loss by the LA Dodgers, the D'Backs still hold a three-game lead atop the NL West.
Webb (19-5), who was trying to become the NL's first 20-game winner since 2005, suffered through an unusually poor outing in which he yielded six runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Heading to the hill for the Padres will be righty Cha Seung Baek, who is 4-8 with a 4.97 ERA. Baek lost for the third time in his last four starts on Friday in San Francisco, as the Giants reached him for five runs and seven hits in seven innings.
Baek is 1-1 in two starts versus the D'Backs with a 3.48 ERA.
Arizona swept a three-game series from the Padres last week and has won five of the last seven against them. The D'Backs hold a 10-7 edge in the season series, with four of those victories coming in San Diego.
<< Desperate Dodgers continue series in Washington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Maddux will get another shot to prove his worth for
the road-weary Los Angeles Dodgers, who resume a three-game series tonight
versus the host Washington Nationals.
Maddux joined the Dodgers last week in a tr
<< Angels, Athletics wrap series
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two American League West teams that haven't won a series in
a while get a chance to end their droughts tonight, when the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim play the rubber match of a three-game set with the visiting
Oakland Athlet
<< Marlins seeking quick rebound in second tilt with Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Florida Marlins have any plans on reaching the
postseason, playing better baseball on the road would certainly help.
Florida will resume a nine-game road trip tonight with the second test of a
three-game s
<< Rangers go for sweep in KC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie southpaw Matt Harrison makes the 10th start of his
major league career and tries to regain the momentum of a recent three-game
win streak tonight when the Texas Rangers visit Kauffman Stadium to close out
a three-game
13th-ranked Badgers battle Zips in Madison >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers get their
2008 campaign underway this Saturday, as they entertain the Akron Zips in non-
conference action at Camp Randall Stadium.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Badge
22nd-ranked Penn State opens up at home against Coastal Carolina >>
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what figures to be a complete
mismatch, the 22nd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions host the Coastal Carolina
Chanticleers in the season-opener for both programs at Beaver Stadium this
weekend.
Joe Pat
Defending FBS and FCS champs meet in Baton Rouge >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked LSU Tigers are the
defending national champs, and they will begin the 2008 season by hosting the
always dangerous Appalachian State Mountaineers.
College football fans undoubtedly remembe
Mocs face uphill battle against mighty Sooners >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners are
considered major contenders for the national title heading into the 2008
season, and they are heavily favored in Saturday's opener against the
Chattanooga Mocs.
Last seaso
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.
MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds
With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.
Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.
MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:
Atlanta Hawks 1000-1
Boston Celtics 5000-1
Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1
Chicago Bulls 20-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
Denver Nuggets 25-1
Detroit Pistons 6-1
Golden State Warriors 250-1
Houston Rockets 12-1
Indiana Pacers 60-1
Los Angeles Clippers 45-1
Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1
Miami Heat 9-1
Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1
Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1
New Jersey Nets 50-1
New Orleans Hornets 150-1
New York Knicks 150-1
Orlando Magic 75-1
Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1
Phoenix Suns 5-2
Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1
Sacramento Kings 250-1
San Antonio Spurs 9-1
Seattle Sonics 5000-1
Toronto Raptors 35-1
Utah Jazz 20-1
Washington Wizards 25-1
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