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08/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have any hopes of playing playoff baseball come October, now is the time to make a push.
When the Angels kick off a three-game series in Boston Tuesday night, they'll be eight games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. And thanks to the ultra-competitive AL East division, they are also 12 1/2 games back in the wild card race.
Of course, the Halos have grown accustomed to running away with the division by now, given their AL West dominance over the past few seasons. But the landscape has indeed changed, and the Rangers have complemented their potent lineup with a bona fide ace in Cliff Lee.
The Angels did their best to mirror the Lee acquisition by trading for starting pitcher Dan Haren at the trade deadline. Although Haren has been as advertised, it hasn't translated over to the win column. In five starts with his new team, Haren has a solid 3.44 ERA but only a 1-3 record to show for it. In addition, the offense has scored a grand total of only six runs during his 34 innings.
Let's just say it hasn't gone unnoticed by Haren.
"The margin of error has been a little thin," he told the OC Register following Sunday's 4-1 loss to Toronto. "I did what I could with the situations that came up. By no means is it the offense's fault. I'm the one who went out there and gave up four runs and gave up the hits. The loss gets pinned on me."
Then, there's Jered Weaver, who has a 2.87 ERA and leads the majors with 182 strikeouts. However, he has a modest 11 wins in 25 starts as the offense hasn't done him many favors, either.
Angels hitters went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. As a team, they are hitting just .259 with runners in scoring position, down from a team-record .285 last season.
Manager Mike Scioscia sees his players pressing a bit too much in those situations.
"Situational hitting is important to this group and when we're struggling with it, you can see the effect it has on our offense," Scioscia said. "We've struggled with it and we've paid the price for it this season. Some guys are doing a terrific job with runners in scoring position. Some guys are really struggling with it and it's caught up to us at times."
The team kicks off a three-game series in Boston beginning Tuesday night, followed by a three-game set in Minnesota this weekend. The Angels won't have any time to catch their breath, as Tampa Bay comes to down Monday night.
Unlike the past few seasons, the Angels will have to scratch and claw their way through August and September in order to earn a playoff berth. But if the offense continues to leave the starting pitchers hanging, the window will soon be shut.
RANGERS' CRUZ CAN'T AVOID DL STINT
The good news for Nelson Cruz and the Texas Rangers is that Sunday's MRI on his left hamstring revealed no tear in the muscle. The bad news is that it did show enough inflammation to land the right fielder on the 15-day disabled list.
The injury occurred while rounding the bases during Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston. Cruz said he didn't think a DL stint was necessary, though he understood the team's approach. This marks the third time this season Cruz has gone on the DL because of a hamstring issue.
"I'm not feeling any pain or anything," Cruz said on Monday. "I understand. I get it. Part of me doesn't want to be on the DL. I get the point. The point is it's better for me to miss a couple games now and play in September and October."
Cruz added that he'll spend some careful consideration on his offseason workout routine "so it doesn't happen again." In 77 games this season, he is hitting .320 with 16 home runs, 21 doubles and 64 RBI. He has a team-high .587 slugging average.
Infielder Joaquin Arias, who just completed a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco, was activated from the disabled list to take Cruz's place on the active roster.
STRUGGLING A'S TRYING TO GET HEALTHY
August has not been kind so far to the Oakland Athletics (57-60), who are 5-9 for the month entering Tuesday night's game against Toronto. They are 10 games off the pace in the American League West, and 14 1/2 back in the Wild Card. As the A's try to figure things out during this seven-game homestand, they are also starting to get some guys back healthy.
Outfielders Conor Jackson and Travis Buck rejoined the team on Monday. Buck hasn't played a big league game since April 20th, as he has dealt with an oblique strain and leg soreness. Manager Bob Geren said Buck would be shuffled into the outfield based on matchups. Meanwhile, Jackson has spent the last six weeks recovering from a strained right hamstring. Now finally healthy, Jackson was slotted into the No. 3 hole in Monday's lineup.
To make room, prized prospect Chris Carter was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento to continue to work on his swing. Since being called up last Monday, Carter was 0-for-19 at the plate with Oakland. He had 27 homers and 89 RBI before his promotion. Jeff Larish was also sent down to Sacramento.
In addition, the team is hoping All-Star closer Andrew Bailey can return by the end of next week. According to team reports, Bailey is progressing well in his recovery from a strained rib cage muscle, which has kept him out of game action since July 20th. After throwing a bullpen session on Sunday with no setbacks, he was scheduled to throw another on Tuesday.
"We're still a couple days away, but it's getting close," Bailey said. "Each and every day you're feeling better and now that I'm feeling good, it's just about getting back into baseball and game form."
MARINERS COURTING VALENTINE?
Multiple media reports have surfaced this week indicating that former New York Mets manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine would be interested in the Seattle Mariners. Don Wakamatsu was fired last week and replaced by interim manager Daren Brown, who has guided the team to consecutive series victories.
Valentine's last managerial job was in 2009 with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. Most recently, he has been tied to potential coaching gigs with Baltimore and Florida, both of which ultimately fell through. It has also been speculated that Valentine could replace Cubs' manager Lou Piniella when he retires at the end of the season, or Mets manager Jerry Manuel if he is let go.
According to the Seattle Times, a person familiar with Valentine's thinking said that Valentine believes the Mariners job "is among the most appealing jobs in baseball."
That's an interesting perspective, considering the team just set a franchise record in July for most losses in a month, going 6-22. Mariners' general manager Jack Zduriencik was the Mets' director of minor league operations during Valentine's stint as a Triple-A manager in the Mets' farm system.
<< Budweiser moving sponsorship to Harvick's No.29 team in 2011
Welcome, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick will become NASCAR's next "Bud
Man," starting in 2011.
Richard Childress Racing announced on Tuesday that Budweiser will serve as
primary sponsor of Harvick's No.29 team for 20 points ra
<< Chiefs bring in QB Stull
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed
quarterback Bill Stull, who went undrafted after a standout collegiate career
at Pittsburgh.
Stull started 26 of the 32 games he played for the Panthers and
<< Cardinals try to bounce back in battle with Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - August is Albert Pujols' month to shine, and the St. Louis
Cardinals hope the consistent slugger can help get them back into first place.
Looking to snap a two-game losing streak, St. Louis welcomes the Milwaukee
Brewers t
<< Pirates continue set with Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins have lost four consecutive games, and
an ineffective offense has been a big reason for the team's current woes.
They'll try once again to break out of that funk in tonight's clash with a
Pittsburgh Pirates
Browns put P Zastudil on IR >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns announced Tuesday they have
placed punter Dave Zastudil on injured reserve and that Reggie Hodges will
handle the punting duties in 2010.
Zastudil was unable to sufficiently recover
German Ozil leaves Bremen to join Real Madrid >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid signed German international Mesut
Ozil from Werder Bremen on Tuesday, acquiring the 21-year-old attacking
midfielder for a fee reported to be nearly $20 million.
Ozil joined Bremen from Sch
Titans sign Gado; waive injured rookie Johnson >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans have waived/injured
rookie running back Stafon Johnson and signed journeyman running back Samkon
Gado.
Johnson underwent surgery to repair a dislocated right ankle Sunday less tha
Twins activate Punto >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have activated
infielder Nick Punto off the 15-day disabled list.
Punto had been sidelined since July 29 with a strained left hamstring.
In 80 games entering Tuesday's game
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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