Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny nearly reprised his role as the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game for a second consecutive season. The Los Angeles Dodgers are now hoping that their burly ace doesn't repeat his subpar second-half performance of 2006.
Although Penny was nudged out by San Diego's Jake Peavy for the NL's starting nod of this year's Midsummer Classic, he certainly made a strong case for the honor. He entered the break with a 10-1 record and 2.39 earned run average in 18 starts, while surrendering a mere three home runs over 116 2/3 innings of work.
Penny posted similar numbers (10-2, 2.91) en route to earning last year's starting assignment in Pittsburgh. That appearance turned out to be the high point of the 28-year-old's season, as he slumped to a 6-7 record with an uncharacteristic 5.25 ERA following the break.
The hard-throwing right-hander appears determined not to duplicate that disappointing performance this time around, and if Penny's initial start of the 2007 second half is any indication, he won't be. He threw seven dominating innings against a potent Philadelphia Phillies lineup on Monday, yielding only a run on four hits while striking out eight batters in the Dodgers' 10-3 victory.
Penny showed no ill effects from a recent blister problem that cut short his final first-half start. He was able to throw 104 pitches on the evening, 70 of which found the strike zone.
"Great plays were made that kept me out of trouble, he said afterward. "I threw strikes. I felt better as the game went on."
The Dodgers are going to need Penny to maintain his level of excellence with the club's once-formidable rotation currently in a state of flux. Derek Lowe has been struggling badly in recent weeks, Jason Schmidt is out for the season and Randy Wolf is temporarily on the shelf with a sore shoulder.
Factor in an expected lack of available starting pitching at the trade deadline, and it looks like Los Angeles will be relying heavily on Penny to keep pace with the Padres and Diamondbacks in the competitive NL West.
DYNAMIC DUO
Lately the Dodgers have received tremendous production out of right field, where youngsters Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have been splitting time at the position.
Ethier, the left-handed member of the platoon, is batting .522 (12-for-23) with two home runs and 10 RBI over the last eight games. Kemp is presently riding a six-game hitting streak in which the 22-year-old has gone 11-for-21 (.524) with a pair of homers, two triples and seven RBI.
The biggest challenge for manager Grady Little has finding enough time for the budding sluggers in a crowded outfield that also includes clutch veteran Luis Gonzalez and speedster Juan Pierre.
"We've got guys battling for playing time, but you have to know what's expected of you and what your role is," Ethier recently told the team's official site. We have four outfielders swinging the bat well, and we know what's expected. There's no wondering why one guy plays and one guy's on the bench. We each have each other's backs."
IN WITH THE OLD
Los Angeles added an arm to its bullpen prior to Wednesday's series finale with the Phillies, as grizzled vet Roberto Hernandez was recalled from Triple- A Las Vegas to serve as the 12th pitcher.
The 42-year-old, who has 326 career saves to his credit, began the season with Cleveland but was released by the Indians last month after compiling a lackluster 6.23 ERA in 28 appearances. The Dodgers signed Hernandez to a minor-league deal shortly afterward.
While it's possible the right-hander could make a solid contribution to the relief corps, Hernandez's addition more than likely signals the Dodgers' willingness to trade for bullpen help prior to the July 31 deadline. Kansas City's Octavio Dotel has been mentioned as a possible target to serve as a bridge to All-Star closer Takashi Saito.
Los Angeles could use a fresh arm in the 'pen, though, as its starting pitchers have averaged just five innings over the first seven games following the All-Star break. Rubber-armed relievers Jonathan Broxton and Joe Beimel have appeared in five of those contests.
INJURY REPORT
Wolf will have a 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday, the lefty's first time throwing off a mound since he was placed on the DL on July 4, and is expected to make a rehab start for the Dodgers' Class A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers, sometime next week. Barring any setbacks, he should be ready to rejoin the rotation in early August.
Right-hander Chad Billingsley labored through a career-high 113 pitches in five innings of Wednesday's 5-4 win over Philadelphia and aggravated a blister on his finger that could put his next scheduled start in jeopardy. The talented young hurler is tentatively slated to take the mound when the Dodgers open a three-game series in Houston on Monday.
WHO'S HOT
The entire Dodger offense. Los Angeles has racked up 58 runs over its last eight games and compiled 13 hits or more in all but two of those contests. The surge has vaulted the club to the top of the National League in batting average (.278) and third in on-base percentage (.345).
Individually, catcher Russell Martin has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with a .500 on- base percentage in seven games following his first career All-Star appearance. Shortstop Rafael Furcal is batting .364 (12-for-13) with six runs scored since the break.
WHO'S NOT
Lowe was rocked for nine runs and 10 hits before being removed after three innings of Thursday's 13-9 loss to the New York Mets. He hasn't won in five starts since defeating Tampa Bay on June 22, having recorded three defeats and two no decisions over that span.
ON DECK
A four-game series with the NL East-leading Mets resumes Friday at Dodger Stadium, with Brett Tomko (2-7, 5.88) getting the call for Los Angeles opposite Oliver Perez (8-6, 3.13). Penny (11-1, 2.33) will face off against Jorge Sosa (7-4, 3.84) on Saturday, with Mark Hendrickson (4-5, 4.54) slated to start Sunday's finale for the Dodgers. Veteran Orlando Hernandez (6-4, 2.96) will pitch for New York.
<< British Open Second Round News & Notes
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been quite a golfing week for
Spain.
On Monday, Seve Ballesteros, a three-time champion, and Spain's greatest
golfer in history, announced his retirement from competitive golf. He had be
<< Moya upended in quarters of Dutch Open
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Carlos Moya was
upset in three sets by Werner Eschauer in quarterfinals action at the Dutch
Open on Friday.
Eschauer, an Austrian, survived a first-set tiebreaker loss, and
<< Yashin headed to Russian Super League
Yaroslavl, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Islander Alexei Yashin
agreed to a contract to play next season with Locomotiv Yaroslavl of the
Russian Super League on Friday.
Yashin, who had the last four seasons of his 10-
<< Thumbs down: Twins' Cuddyer placed on DL
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins right fielder Michael
Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday due to a sprained right
thumb.
Cuddyer suffered the injury when sliding into second base during Tuesd
Red Bulls to be without Angel versus United >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York enters the second
game of a five-game homestand Sunday when it hosts D.C. United in a Major
League Soccer fixture.
It will be the second meeting between the Eastern Conferenc
Conference USA - Title game rematch? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two years ago, Conference USA won just
11% (two of 19) of its games vs. BCS schools, but finished 12-9 ATS. Last
season was an improved campaign with a 19% winning percentage against BCS
teams with five win
TFC aiming to end road trip on winning note at Crew >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC concludes its six-game road trip on
Sunday with a visit to Crew Stadium to take on the Columbus Crew.
The Canadian side is 1-1-3 on its current trip, including a 0-0 draw last time
out against the
Colorado hopes for Rapid improvement in K.C. >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards won for the first
time in seven games last week, and will try to continue their winning ways on
Sunday when the club hosts the struggling Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead
Stadium
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard 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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting