Cardinals in must win situation

Baseball Betting Lines

08/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have done everything they can to stay within striking distance in the race for the National League Central. However, the Cardinals' poor start has made it difficult for the team to make any real headway. All that can change this week, as St. Louis embarks on a seven-game road trip that will take them to Milwaukee and Chicago. The Cardinals, who currently trail the Brewers by 5 1/2 games, must win both series in order to continue their fight for the NL Central crown. If St. Louis can win both series it has a great chance of winning the division. However, if the Cardinals were to lose either set, there may not be enough time for them to bounce back

ANKIEL RETURNS TO CARDS IN MUCH DIFFERENT ROLE

The last time Rick Ankiel put on a Cardinals' uniform, St. Louis was hoping the right-hander could keep his opponents from knocking the ball out of the park. However, after a three year absence, the Cardinals are now counting on Ankiel to step into a power-hitting role, as the team gears up for the final stretch of the regular season.

Ankiel's story is a remarkable one, as the former pitcher turned outfielder was an important piece of the Cardinals' success in the late 90's - early 2000's. Ankiel made his Cardinals debut in 1999, serving as a part-time starter for St. Louis. However, after a productive first season, he was moved into the starting rotation in 2000. Ankiel roared through the regular season that year, earning him the right to start the first game of the 2000 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.

His performance that day would signify the beginning of the end for Ankiel as a pitcher. Ankiel walked six batters and threw five wild pitches, ultimately costing the Cardinals a win. He followed that performance with another wild-pitch filled start against the New York Mets in the NLCS. The Cardinals went onto to lose the NLCS and Ankiel's pitching career was just starting to go bad.

Ankiel made just six starts in 2001, before having his season cut short due to elbow problems. He was forced to undergo surgery, requiring him to miss all of the 2002 season. The elbow never fully recovered and limited Ankiel's playing time throughout the 03' and 04' seasons. Unable to compete as a starter, Ankiel contemplated retiring at the end of the 2004 season. However, Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty was not ready to give up on Ankiel and convinced the former pitcher to make a position change..

Now an outfielder, Ankiel has made a quite name for himself in minor league baseball. After missing the 2006 season with a knee injury, Ankiel burst on the scene in 07' hitting a minor-league best 32 homers through August 7th. Manager Tony La Russa, who has kept an eye on Ankiel's progress throughout the year, could no longer ignore the outfielder's progress.

"You get what you deserve and he deserves some Major League at-bats," La Russa said. "This is the Major Leagues, so the better he does, the more he plays. We're going to try to win games, but the reason he's here is we think he's going to improve our chance to win."

The Cardinals purchased Ankiel's contract from Triple-A Memphis last Thursday and have already begun to reap the benefits. The right fielder has gone 6- for-16 with three home runs and six RBI in just four starts. He has given the Cardinals a much-needed spark at the top of their order, while taking some of the pressure off of Albert Pujols. Ankiel is thrilled about his new opportunity and is now focused on doing whatever he can to stay in the lineup and help his team win.

"It's a weird feeling, it's been a long time and it's a goal that I set for myself and one that I've definitely reached," Ankiel said. "I'm looking forward to reaching my next goal, which is to stay here. It's new, I haven't been a hitter here before, so it's definitely like making a debut."

ENCARNACION UNHAPPY WITH MANAGER

The emergence of Ankiel has failed to make everyone in St. Louis happy. Juan Encarnacion happens to be that one, as Ankiel has taken his place in the lineup. Encarnacion voiced his displeasure recently, noting that he carries no hard feeling towards Ankiel, but is jaded by the La Russa's handling of the situation.

"You've got to play whoever is doing the job," Encarnacion said. "I'm not upset about that situation. I'm more mad about [the fact that] I didn't even know what was going on before that happened. Players should know a lot of things that happen before you [the media] know, everybody knows about it. I've been here long enough so that [La Russa] should come up to me and say something before the thing happens."

Encarnacion has not played since Ankiel's arrival, sitting out each of the last four games. While the first three games were in response to Ankiel's performance, Sunday's game was due to a sore injury. Encarnacion was penciled into the lineup, but was scratched at the last minute because of his knee. Although MRI's came back negative, there is still know word as to when Encarnacion will be back in the lineup.

With its team in a pennant race, the last thing St. Louis needs is a distraction in the locker room. However, it does not seem as though Encarnacion has any intention of standing by quietly, as the Cardinals move on without him.

"It hurts my feelings when your manager says you don't give the effort to play," Encarnacion said. "I was giving the best effort I can do. That's not making me feel good. He hurt my feelings about that situation.

INJURY NEWS

Second baseman Adam Kennedy was placed on the 15-day disabled list after it was decided that he will have to undergo knee surgery. Kennedy experienced soreness throughout the weekend, before Sunday's MRI revealed a torn ligament in his right knee. The second baseman is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.

While the doctors believe Kennedy will return before the end of the season, La Russa seems less convinced about the timetable.

"I think we'll have to wait and see," La Russa said. "I think it depends on what they go in there and see. I just don't know. I'm guessing he'll be back in September, but I don't know

WHO'S HOT

Infielder Aaron Miles has come on strong, going 14-for-35 at the plate, over his last 10 games. Miles has been consistent all season, posting 85 hits to just 24 strikeouts in 92 games. On the season he is batting a respectable .295 with 22 RBI.

WHO'S NOT

Third baseman Scott Rolen is struggling at the plate, going just 5-for-38 over his last 10 games. He has gone hitless in five of those contest and has just three home runs in his last 34 games. The Cardinals need Rolen's bat down the stretch if they have any chance of making a run at the postseason.

On the year he is batting .261 with seven home runs and 50 RBI.

ON DECK

The Cardinals will travel to Miller Park for a three-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers. Tuesday night's contest will feature righthander Kip Wells (5-13, 5.27) and southpaw Chris Capuano (5-9, 4.96). Wednesday night's contest will match-up Joel Pineiro (2-2, 4.50) and Yovani Gallardo (4-2, 4.20), before Adam Wainwright (10-9, 4.21) and Dave Bush (9-8, 5.07) square off in Thursday's finale.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.