Ramirez, Marlins host Pirates in Miami
Baseball Betting Lines
07/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez will try to stretch his franchise-record RBI streak to 11 games this evening when the Florida Marlins begin a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Land Shark Stadium.
Florida, meanwhile, has won eight of its last 11 games and has moved into a tie atop the NL East with the struggling Philadelphia Phillies.
Ramirez has been a huge reason behind the latest surge, as he has hit .475 (19-for-40) with five homers and 24 RBI over the last 10 games, knocking in at least one run in each of those contests.
"They are doing a good job getting on base," said Ramirez, who banged out eight hits and seven RBI in the Marlins' recent three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. "It's a team, not just me."
His RBI streak, which is the longest ever by an NL shortstop, is also the longest in the majors since Garret Anderson had a 12-game run from August 26- September 7, 2007, while with the Los Angles Angels.
Hoping to keep the Marlins atop the division tonight will be 22-year-old right-hander Chris Volstad, who has just one win over his last six starts. Volstad did not factor in the decision of his team's 3-2 loss to Tampa on Saturday, as he allowed a pair of runs and five hits in six innings.
Volstad, who is 5-7 with a 4.63 earned run average on the season, has never faced the Pirates.
Pittsburgh will counter with righty Charlie Morton, who is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in three starts for the Bucs. Morton, acquired from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth deal, absorbed his first loss of the season on Sunday against Kansas City, which reached him for three runs and seven hits in five innings.
This will be Morton's fourth-ever start against the Marlins and is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in the three previous encounters.
The Pirates lost in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, as they blew an early five-run lead, only to rally with three runs in the ninth to send the game to extra innings, before dropping a 9-8 decision to the New York Mets in the makeup contest of a postponed June 3 game from PNC Park.
Garrett Jones went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored for the Pirates, losers in four of their last five. Adam LaRoche launched a two-run home run, and Robinzon Diaz also posted three hits and knocked in a pair.
Matt Capps (1-4) surrendered the go-ahead run in the 10th for the loss. Paul Maholm didn't make it out of the fifth during his start, touched for 11 hits and six runs over 4 1/3 frames.
"I was very proud of the way our guys batted back," Pirates manager John Russell said. "It's easy just to fold up, especially when Rodriguez comes in the game...I was really proud of the effort today."
Pittsburgh swept a three-game set from the Marlins in April and has won four straight and five of the last six matchups in the series.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will try to start a new winning streak this afternoon, when they play the first of four straight games versus the American League East-rival Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx. New York had a seven-game wi
<< Ray carries Eskimos over Bombers; Lumsden hurts shoulder
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Ray went 29-for-41 passing for 318 yards
and a touchdown, as the Edmonton Eskimos edged the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,
19-17, in the teams' season-opener.
Edmonton took the win after Winnipeg kicker
<< Abreu homers twice in Angels' win over O's
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Abreu hit a pair of homers, accounting
for four runs batted in, and John Lackey threw eight strong innings, as the
Angels beat Baltimore, 5-2, in the opener of a four-game series.
Chone Figgins had
<< Mariners end Yankees' seven-game win streak
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Branyan belted a two-run homer and the
Mariners pounded CC Sabathia early on the way to an 8-4 win, ending New
York's winning streak at seven contests.
Franklin Gutierrez had three hits, inclu
<< NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees announced
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Thursday revealed the 25 nominees
for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. Nominees included
pioneers, former champions and driver-turned-team owners of the sport.
A 21-member committe
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves try to push their season-high winning streak to five games this evening when they open a three-game series with the lowly Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Although it still sits in fourth pl
Cubs' Zambrano takes mound against Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano takes aim at his first win in five starts
this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs continue their four-game series with the
Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano was roughed up by the Chicago White S
Serena and Venus reach fourth Wimbledon doubles final >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The incomparable Williams sisters,
Serena and Venus, will appear in their fourth Wimbledon doubles final on
Saturday.
The fourth-seeded sisters drilled a top-seeded tandem of Zimbabwe's Cara
Road-weary Phils return home to host Mets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies limp back home tied atop the NL
East after a dreadful road trip. Tonight, they try to improve upon their
horrific play in front of their own fans when they open a three-game series
against
King Felix goes for Mariners at Fenway >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners enter the final leg of a challenging
road trip with tonight's opener of a three-game series with the American
League East-leading Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park.
The surprising Mariners have acquitte
College Football Betting Tips From a Pro
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.