07/04/2008 - Cleveland, OH (Baseball Betting) - The Cleveland Indians designated closer Joe Borowski for assignment Friday, days after he blew a save against the Chicago White Sox.
Borowski went 1-3 on the season with a 7.56 earned run average in 18 games, recording only six saves in 10 opportunities. The 37-year-old recorded a career-best 45 saves last year for the AL Central champion Indians.
Jensen Lewis was promoted from Buffalo. Lewis has posted an 0-2 record with a 3.82 ERA in 21 games for the major league club this season.
In another move for Cleveland, pitcher Rick Bauer was designated for assignment. He posted a 13.50 ERA in four appearances for the Indians this year.
Brian Slocum was also called up from Buffalo. Slocum has gone 3-5 with a 4.62 ERA in 18 games in Buffalo. He last appeared for the Indians in 2006.
<< Federer, Nadal to meet in third straight Wimbledon final
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Roger Federer, seeking a
sixth straight title here, and two-time runner-up Rafael Nadal were Friday's
semifinal winners at The Championships, Wimbledon. The two superstars will
meet in
<< Blue Jays resume western swing with visit to Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American League West-leading Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim will open a three-game series this evening against the Toronto Blue
Jays at Angel Stadium.
The Angels, who are five games ahead of Oakland in the divi
<< Mets, Phillies to renew rivalry with key weekend set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fireworks are sure to fly in South Philadelphia tonight, as
the Phillies and New York Mets renew their National League East rivalry with
the opener of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies and Mets ba
<< Rays try to keep shining in opener with Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays will try to run their winning streak to
five games this evening, when they begin a four-game series with the Kansas
City Royals at Tropicana Field.
The Rays' current winning run includes a three-g
Padres place Barrett on DL with broken nose >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres placed catcher Michael
Barrett on the 15-day disabled list with a broken nose that may require
surgery.
Barrett left Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the Rockies after fouling a ball off
Harang has start moved back; Hopper out for season >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds right-hander Aaron Harang
is having his next start moved back to Tuesday because of stiffness in his
right forearm.
Harang has been struggling this season despite being a candidate
Canucks acquire Bernier >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Steve
Bernier from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a pair of draft picks on
Friday.
The Sabres will receive a 2010 second round draft pick and a 2009 third ro
Jones, Garciaparra return for Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers received a boost
on Friday when Andruw Jones and Nomar Garciaparra returned from the disabled
list.
Garciaparra will play shortstop for the Dodgers in their afternoon contes
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.
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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