07/04/2008 - (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-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, which pushed Tampa Bay's lead in the American League East to three games after Thursday's off day. The Rays completed their sweep with a 7-6 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rays are the first team other than the Yankees or the Red Sox to lead the AL East in July or later since 2000, when the Blue Jays held the top spot through games of July 6 before finishing third.
Jason Bartlett's two-run single capped a six-run seventh inning to help the Rays rally, while Evan Longoria was 3-for-4 and knocked in three runs. Carl Crawford went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, while Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena also drove in a run for Tampa Bay, which owns the best record in baseball at 52-32.
Bartlett, though, landed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday due to a right knee sprain suffered in the game. The 28-year-old is batting .256 with 20 RBI and 18 steals in 77 games this season, his first with the Rays.
Tampa will try to keep things going with Edwin Jackson on the hill. Jackson has posted two straight no-decisions since a loss to Florida on June 15 in which he allowed six runs. He faced the Pirates on Saturday and gave up three runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings.
Jackson is 4-6 with a 4.33 earned run average on the season. The right-hander is also 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA in two career tests versus the Royals. That includes one start, which came on June 2 of last year. Jackson was rocked for six runs on six hits over 3 1/3 frames in that one.
The Royals counter with Brian Bannister, who suffered his first loss since May 22 last time out. He faced the Cardinals on Sunday and gave up seven runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Bannister had given up a total of six runs over his previous three starts, going 2-0 in that span and lasting seven innings in each of those outings.
The 27-year-old is 7-7 with a 4.88 ERA on the season and defeated the Rays in his only other career start against them. On June 1 of last season, Bannister gave up just one run on two hits over eight innings against Tampa, while striking out six.
The Royals just split a four-game series with Baltimore, plating seven runs in the sixth inning of Thursday's finale to turn a four-run deficit into a 10-7 victory.
Mark Grudzielanek had four hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the Royals, while Jose Guillen added three RBI with a run scored on two hits. Billy Butler and Tony Pena Jr. each added two hits, an RBI and two runs scored in the win.
Royals outfielder David DeJesus went 1-for-5 to run his hitting streak to a career-high-tying 15 games. He is hitting .403 (25-for-62) with 16 RBI in that time.
Joel Peralta (1-2), Ron Mahay and Joakim Soria, who recorded his 23rd save of the season, combined to toss six scoreless innings in relief in Thursday's win.
Joey Gathright was held out of action for Kansas City last night after pulling his shoulder out of place while attempting an over-the-fence catch on Wednesday. Catcher John Buck, who took a foul tip to the groin Wednesday, also rested.
The Royals and Rays are meeting for the first time this season after Kansas City won four of seven last year. The clubs split four games in Tampa in 2007.
<< Dodgers should get reinforcements for latest battle with Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have had problems scoring runs for
Derek Lowe this season. However, with two big-name players set to return from
the disabled list today, that may not be a problem.
Los Angeles is expected to get
<< Diamondbacks welcome Padres to Chase Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks are finally back
at the .500 mark and will try to maintain their division lead tonight, when
they open a three-game series versus the San Diego Padres at Chase Field.
Arizona sits j
<< Hudson goes for Braves against Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta right-hander Tim Hudson makes his fourth career
start against Houston today when the host Braves open a three-game series
against the Astros at Turner Field.
The Georgia native, who'll turn 33 in 10 days, is 1-0 i
<< Nats, Reds resume four-game set in Cincy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Up-and-down right-hander Bronson Arroyo goes for a second
straight victory today when the Cincinnati Reds continue a four-game series
against the visiting Washington Nationals at Great American Ball Park.
Arroyo, a native
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
Report: Boyle waives no-trade clause, headed to San Jose >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly agreed
to trade veteran defenseman Dan Boyle to the San Jose Sharks.
According to TSN of Canada, Boyle waived his no-trade clause and agreed to the
deal, which is pendin
Indians designate Borowski for assignment >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - 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 averag
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
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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