07/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd will try to keep the good times rolling when he takes the mound this afternoon for the Chicago White Sox in the second meeting of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Floyd has won his last two starts for the White Sox, and is coming off an outstanding performance against Cleveland. In the 6-3 victory over the Tribe, Floyd tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering five hits, while also striking out five batters
Despite the recent run however, the right-hander has been inconsistent on the mound this year, posting a 6-5 ledger with a 4.12 earned run average.
Earlier this season Floyd was rocked by the Royals, surrendering six runs on six hits in five innings. In seven career appearances against KC, Floyd has struggled, posting a 1-4 mark with a terrible 4.35 earned run average.
After a slow start, Luke Hochevar will try to continue his solid pitching when he takes the mound for KC this afternoon. Hochevar opened the year with an 0-2 mark, but since then the right-hander has pushed his season ledger to 3-3 and has brought his earned run average down to 4.96.
Pitching against Chicago has been a nightmare for the young hurler however, as Hochevar has gone 0-2 in four outings against the Pale Hose, allowing 11 runs in 22 innings of work.
Last night, John Danks was dominant in 7 1/3 shutout innings, as the red-hot White Sox extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with a 5-0 blanking of the Royals.
Danks (7-6) has been one of the spark plugs for Chicago, going at least seven innings while allowing three or less runs in five consecutive starts. The southpaw allowed just five hits with five strikeouts and no walks to move above .500 for the first time since the beginning of May, when he was 2-1.
A. J. Pierzynski hit a solo homer in a 3-for-4 effort, while Scott Podsednik went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the White Sox, who have won 13 of their last 16 road contests.
David DeJesus and Luis Hernandez each had two of the Royals' six hits, as KC dropped its fourth straight game. Zack Greinke (10-4) failed to move out of the first-place tie for most wins in the AL after yielding four runs -- two earned -- on nine hits with a walk and six strikeouts in six innings.
Greinke's earned run average now stands at a season-worst 2.00.
"It happens to me every year. I pitch the best in the beginning (of the season), struggle in the middle and usually finish strong, too," Greinke said. "I don't know why, but that happens, it seems, every year."
Pierzynski put the White Sox on the board in the second, blasting a one-out solo shot to right.
"I have nothing but the utmost respect for Zack and what he's been able to do, especially this year," Pierzynski said of his homer. "He's the best pitcher I've seen this year. The bottom line is you've got to get a good pitch off of him."
Chicago has won five of seven matchups with the Royals held in Kansas City so far this season and swept a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium from May 29-31. Additionally, the White Sox enter this evening's tilt having won 13 of their last 16 overall road games.
<< Braves send Hanson to hill against Washington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie phenom Tommy Hanson looks for a fifth straight
victory today when the Atlanta Braves visit our nation's capital for a holiday
afternoon game with the host Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
Hanson, who'll tur
<< Reds, Owings seek to slow down Pujols
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Brad Thompson starts against the Cincinnati
Reds for the second time this season today when the St. Louis Cardinals head
to Great American Ball Park for the middle test of a three-game series with
their Nationa
<< With Manny return behind them, LA gets back to business in San Diego
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the return of Manny Ramirez now behind them, the Los
Angeles Dodgers can get back to business, as they continue their three-game
series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Ramirez returned from a 50-game suspensi
<< BoSox try to bounce back against Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox will try to return to the win column
when they host the Seattle Mariners this afternoon at Fenway Park.
Boston's starter this afternoon will be Brad Penny, who has one win in his
last six starts. The la
Echenique birdies the last for the lead in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Overnight leader Rafa Echenique birdied the
last hole Saturday to hold on to his spot atop the leaderboard after the third
round of the Open de France.
Echenique shot a one-under 70 and finished 54 holes at
Nestor/Zimonjic beat Bryans for Wimbledon doubles crown >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad
Zimonjic repeated as men's doubles champions at Wimbledon Saturday, beating
the top-seeded American twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, in four sets.
Nestor and
D'Backs activate Petit off DL for Saturday start >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have activated
right-hander Yusmeiro Petit from the 15-day disabled list to start Saturday's
game versus Colorado.
Petit has been shelved since May 9 with a right shoulde
New jockey for Mine That Bird on the horizon >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chip Woolley, trainer of Kentucky Derby
winner Mine That Bird, indicated Saturday that an announcement on a new rider
for the three-year-old could come as soon as Sunday morning. Earlier in the
week Ca
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting