A-Rod's homer pushes Yankees past M's, to seventh straight win
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez continued his recent power surge, belting the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning that lifted the New York Yankees to their seventh straight victory, 4-2, over the Seattle Mariners.
Andy Pettitte (8-3) threw seven solid innings to get the victory. The left- hander surrendered six hits and a pair of runs, while walking one and fanning five. Mariano Rivera retired the side in order in the ninth for his 502nd career save and third in as many games. It was his 20th of the season.
Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera also homered for New York, which won at home over Seattle for a 10th straight time.
Ken Griffey Jr. smacked a solo homer for the Mariners, who came into this series winning four of five contests, but are now in danger of being swept in the three-game set.
Jarrod Washburn (4-6) was charged with eight hits and four runs over seven frames. The lefty has dropped six of his last seven decisions and has just one victory since April 21.
Mark Teixeira singled to left to start the bottom of the sixth, and Rodriguez then drilled the 0-1 offering from Washburn over the wall in dead center field. It was his fourth homer in the last six games. He has 13 RBI over his last seven contests.
Pettitte, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and Rivera combined to no-hit the Mariners over the final three innings.
Damon homered to right with two outs in the third, but the Mariners tied it in the next inning when Jose Lopez scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Wladimir Balentien.
Cabrera homered over the foul pole in left field with one out in the fifth. Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu came out to argue the call, but it stood even after umpires met for a video replay.
Griffey homered to right field with two outs in the sixth. He has now homered in 44 different ballparks, one less than Sammy Sosa, who holds the all-time record.
Game Notes
Pettitte is 10-11 all-time against the Mariners...Rodriguez has 13 homers this season and 566 for his career...Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki finished 0-for-4 and had his 12-game hit streak snapped.
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Brian Gionta to a five-year contract and defenseman Hal Gill to a two-year deal, the team announced Wednesday. Financial terms of both deals were not release
<< Flames sign Sjostrom
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames signed forward Fredrik
Sjostrom, the club announced on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
Sjostrom, who was an original first round pick (11th overall) of the P
<< Rangers give long-term deal to Gaborik
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers made a big splash on the
first day of free agency, inking free agent forward Marian Gaborik to a five-
year contract.
TSN Canada is reporting the deal is worth $7.5 million yearly.
Ga
<< Coyotes ink G LaBarbera to two-year deal
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have signed goaltender
Jason LaBarbera to a two-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
LaBarbera, 29, split last season between
<< Columbus signs G Garon
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed
goaltender Mathieu Garon to a two-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but TSN Canada reports the deal is worth a
total of $2.4 million.
"One of
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Castro hit a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run sixth inning, and Jose Contreras pitched eight strong frames as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a
Prado, Braves rough up Hamels, Phillies >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado was at it again, scoring three
runs and driving in two more runs after a four-RBI evening on Tuesday, as
Atlanta poured it on Philadelphia, 11-1, at Turner Field.
Gregor Blanco scored tw
Cubs grab early lead, top Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrek Lee belted a two-run home run and
Randy Wells tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Chicago Cubs past
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC
Park.
Butler/Georgetown, Indiana/Pittsburgh comprise Jimmy V Classic >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Butler will face Georgetown, and Indiana will
take on Pittsburgh in the matchups for this year's Jimmy V Classic, to be held
at Madison Square Garden on December 8.
This will be the debut for Georgetown and
Cueto, Reds blank D'Backs >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto tossed six shutout innings and
the Reds bullpen finished the two-hitter from there, as Cincinnati blanked
Arizona, 1-0, in the second of three games with the Diamondbacks.
Cueto (8-4) surr
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.