05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Lance Berkman and his Houston Astro teammates aim to keep up their recent hot streaks when the surging club plays the second of four consecutive clashes with the San Francisco Giants tonight at AT&T Park.
Houston registered its fourth straight victory and ninth win in 10 games with Monday's 7-3 come-from-behind decision over the Giants. Berkman once again played a key role in the win, as the standout first baseman slugged a two-run homer in the sixth inning that tied the contest at 3-3.
Berkman, who ended 3-for-4 on the night, is riding an 11-game hitting streak and has been torturing enemy pitchers during May. In 10 games this month, the switch-hitting All-Star is batting a scorching .641 (25-for-39) with five home runs, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored.
The Astros went ahead on Hunter Pence's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh, then put the game out of reach with a three-run eighth. Jose Cruz delivered an RBI single during the frame and finished 2-for-3 for Houston, while Pence collected a pair of hits in four at-bats.
Houston also received some strong pitching on Monday, with starter Roy Oswalt (4-3) allowing just three runs on five hits over the first eight innings and Jose Valverde recording the game's final out with the bases loaded to earn his ninth save.
Giants reliever Vinnie Chulk gave up the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and was saddled with the loss. Barry Zito still remained winless on the season, but the struggling lefty threw a solid six innings in which he gave up three runs on seven hits.
John Bowker hit a solo homer and Fred Lewis went 2-for-4 with an RBI for San Francisco, which has dropped six of its last eight games.
The Giants turn to Matt Cain in hopes of getting back on track tonight. The young righty has had an inconsistent season so far, having recorded just a 1-3 record with a 4.50 earned run average while often being plagued by a lack of run support.
Cain struggled in Pittsburgh last Thursday, when he surrendered five runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings to take the loss in a 5-4 Giants' setback. The former first-round pick had allowed two runs or less in each of his previous three starts.
The 23-year-old has made one start and one relief appearance against Houston over his career. That lone start came at AT&T Park on April 13, 2006, with Cain giving up three runs and striking out eight over five innings of an 8-0 loss to the Astros.
He'll be opposed tonight by the struggling Brandon Backe, who has lost three of his last four decisions and is coming off a home defeat to Washington on Thursday. The injury-plagued hurler did struck out nine Nationals in six innings on that night, but also permitted four runs on six hits.
Control has been the biggest issue for Backe, who is 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA on the year and missed a majority of the past two seasons with elbow problems. The 30-year-old has walked 28 batters in 42 2/3 innings and issued three free passes or more in six of his eight starts.
Backe is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA over three previous encounters with the Giants. That victory was a complete-game effort on May 15, 2005, with Backe firing a four-hitter to notch his only career shutout.
The Giants won four of their six encounters with Houston last season and have gone 9-4 against the Astros since 2006. San Francisco has taken five of the seven matchups held at AT&T Park during that two-year stretch.
<< D'Backs try to stop slide vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, the Diamondbacks are a team that can be beat.
Arizona will try to halt its season-long losing streak tonight in the opener
of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Arizona was sw
<< Bills waive TE Kevin Everett
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have waived tight end
Kevin Everett, who has made a remarkable recovery from a serious neck injury
he suffered in the 2007 regular-season opener.
Everett was hurt on September 9 ag
<< Sharks fire Ron Wilson after early playoff exit
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Although the San Jose Sharks ended another disappointing playoff run last week, coach Ron Wilson was optimistic about his future. After all, his Sharks had done just about everything a good team can do, except win a Stanley Cu
<< Dodgers send Furcal to DL
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers placed shortstop
Rafael Furcal on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 6, on Monday due
to a lower back injury.
Furcal did not travel with the team to Milwaukee, where
Pistons try to eliminate Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons attempt to advance to the Eastern
Conference finals for the sixth straight year, as they host the Orlando Magic
in Game 5 of their semifinal series.
Detroit leads this best-of-seven series 3-1. If neces
Flyers host Game 3 of East finals against Pens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers hope a return to their home ice can
get them on the board in the Eastern Conference finals, as Philly welcomes the
Pittsburgh Penguins to the Wachovia Center for Game 3 of the best-of-seven
series.
Volquez tries to stay hot against Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed phenom Edinson Volquez looks for an eighth
straight quality start tonight when the Cincinnati Reds host the Florida
Marlins in game two of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Volquez, acquired from
NL East rivals start series in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - California-born left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes looks for a third
start without a loss tonight when the Atlanta Braves open a three-game series
with their National League East Division rival Philadelphia Phillies at
Citizens Bank Par
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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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
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 this sportsbook “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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