08/27/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In baseball's first half, the Marlins were the biggest fish in the sea when it came to blasting home runs. However, since the break they have become mere minnows in a pond.
Florida led the majors with 135 home runs in 95 games prior to the All-Star break, but have since connected on just 37 over 37 second-half contests. That ranks 11th in the league. And while the club wasn't hitting for average at a torrid pace in the first half -- .256 prior to the break -- its .235 second- half average is tied for the lowest in the National League.
The Marlins trailed the first-place Phillies by 1 1/2 games heading into the All-Star game in the NL East, but are now six games back of Philadelphia heading into play on Wednesday. A 9-14 mark so far in August also has the club 10 games back in the wild card race.
All this from a team that became the first NL squad in the history of baseball of have all four infield players connect on 20-or-more homers in a single season. On the other hand, Florida hasn't won consecutive games since July 30-31.
"We are trying. Those guys in there are busting their butts trying to get that winning streak," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said after a six-run loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday. "The pitching has been there, but we have to keep going. No one is going to feel sorry for us."
All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla has been the poster boy for the Marlins slumping second half. Uggla hit .286 through 81 games before the Midsummer Classic, connecting on 23 homers while driving in 59 runs. However, in 36 games since, he is hitting just .190 with four homers and 13 RBI.
Perhaps Uggla has yet to recover from his All-Star gaming showing, in which he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
OPEN LATE
Closer Kevin Gregg has hard a hard time finishing off games as of late. He was tagged for four runs on five hits, getting a loss and a blown save on Tuesday in a 10-9 decision versus the Braves. It marked his third loss in his last six games.
The right-hander is 6-7 on the season with a 3.26 earned run average, and is just one save shy of becoming the second player in club history to post more than one season of 30-plus saves. He had 32 last year and would join Rob Nen (35 saves in 1996 and 1997) as the only hurlers to accomplish the aforementioned feat for Florida.
Gregg, though, has hardly been lights out as he has blown eight saves this year. He knows that the Marlins are starting to run out of time if they are to get back in the postseason race.
"You're running out of games," he told Florida's official Web site after Tuesday's loss. "We've got to win. We've got to win some games; we can't be letting games like that get away."
ROSTER MOVE
The Marlins placed left-hander Renyel Pinto on the disabled list Tuesday, retroactive to August 24, while activating righty Doug Waechter from the 15- day DL. Pinto is sidelined with a left hamstring strain, while Waechter had been out due to right shoulder inflammation.
Waechter is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 39 games this year, while Pinto is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA over 65 outings.
WHO'S HOT
Ricky Nolasco improved to 13-7 with a win over Arizona on Sunday and has allowed just three walks while fanning 51 over his last six starts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1961 only six other hurlers have struck out at least 50 batters while issuing no more than three walks in a six-start span.
Those pitchers are Jim Kaat, Ferguson Jenkins (twice), Pedro Martinez, Roy Oswalt, Curt Schilling (twice) and Ben Sheets.
WHO'S NOT
Jeremy Hermida is in the midst of a 4-for-34 (.118) slide, dropping his season average to .252.
ON DECK
The Marlins continue a nine-game road trip on Wednesday with the second part of a three-game series with the Braves. Florida is 3-4 so far on the trek.
Josh Johnson (3-0, 3.51 ERA) goes against Mike Hampton (2-1, 6.47) on Wednesday, while Anibal Sanchez (2-2, 3.99) is slated to toss Thursday's finale versus Charlie Morton (3-8, 6.39).
The Marlins then play six straight at home, starting with three against the Mets on Friday. Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.42) takes on Oliver Perez (9-7, 4.00) in the opener, followed by Nolasco (13-7, 3.62) against Mike Pelfrey (13-8, 3.70) on Saturday and Scott Olsen (6-8, 4.19) versus Pedro Martinez (4-3, 5.22) on Sunday.
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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.
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
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