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09/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Back on top in the NL East for the first time in more than three months, the Philadelphia Phillies return to the venue where runs have been scarce this evening in the opener of a three-game set against the rival New York Mets.
The Phillies have scored just seven runs in six games at Citi Field this season, but their recent surge may reap better results. Having won three straight and 11 of its last 14 games, Philadelphia is a game ahead of Atlanta for the division lead and has scored 25 runs during its current win streak.
Spirits are high for the Phils entering Friday's series opener, especially with Roy Halladay set to take on a Mets team he has dominated this season. He is 3-0 with a 1.88 earned run average in three starts against tonight's opponent and previously beat New York on August 8 at Citizens Bank Park, as he fired eight shutout innings and struck out seven.
Halladay, who is 5-2 in seven career starts against the Mets, ended a two- start skid his last time out Saturday versus Milwaukee. The right-hander did allow four runs in seven innings of the 5-4 win, but improved to 17-10 with a 2.36 ERA in 29 starts this season. The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner has won seven of his past nine starts and is 6-5 in 12 road outings in 2010.
The Phils have been getting solid pitching lately and went 5-2 on a recent homestand which was capped by Wednesday's 10-6 triumph over the visiting Florida Marlins in south Philadelphia. Cole Hamels continued his impressive run towards the postseason by holding the Marlins to only four hits in seven scoreless innings of work.
Hamels benefited from a huge night by first baseman Ryan Howard, who ended with three hits, including a three-run homer, and tied a season high with six RBI.
"It just happens to be September, but it's one of those things where you're coming down the stretch and knowing that every game counts, and I'm just trying to do my part," Howard said.
Chase Utley added two hits, two runs scored and drove in two for the Phillies, while Shane Victorino went 3-for-6 with an RBI and three runs scored. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins left the game with a sore hamstring, however, and is listed as day-to-day.
The Phillies will also visit the Marlins for three games in south Florida on the trek.
Meanwhile, the Mets are back in Queens for a 10-game homestand versus the Phillies, Pirates and Braves and just went 4-6 on a recent road trip. They won the final two portions of a three-game series in Washington and recorded a 3-2 victory Wednesday from Nationals Park.
Nick Evans came on as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh and stroked and RBI double to score Josh Thole, putting the Mets ahead for good. Luis Hernandez and Carlos Beltran also drove in a run for New York, which got two hits and six productive innings out of winning pitcher R.A. Dickey.
Dickey (10-6) held the Nats to a pair of runs and five hits for his 10th win of the season. Hisanori Takahashi earned his fifth save by retiring the side in order in the ninth inning.
"I just tried to slow the game down," Dickey said. "I've found the more I'm able to do that, the better results I've been having. It takes a long time to learn how to do that. It has for me at least."
The Mets, who are 10 1/2 games off the NL Wild Card lead, will send promising rookie Jenrry Mejia to the mound Friday for his second career start. Mejia was the losing pitcher in last Saturday's 5-3 loss at Chicago and permitted four runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. The Dominican right-hander fell to 0-3 this season with a 3.86 ERA in 31 games (one start).
Mejia has pitched two separate innings of relief against Philadelphia this season and has no record or ERA in those games.
The 2010 season series between the Phillies and Mets is tied at six games apiece, but Philadelphia has won three of the last four matchups between the two ballclubs.
<< White Sox return home to open set with Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a great start to their most recent road trip, the
White Sox return home licking their wounds a little bit.
After falling further behind the top spot in the American League Central,
Chicago hopes to get its
<< Weaver aims for a win over Mariners at the Big A
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been over a month since Angels starter Jered Weaver
recorded a victory, but a meeting with the Mariners could change that in a
hurry.
Weaver guns for his fifth straight winning decision over Seattle, which begi
<< Astros southpaw Happ takes hill vs. LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ can add to Los Angeles' misery this evening when
the Astros continue their four-game set against the free-falling Dodgers at
Minute Maid Park.
Happ, who was 12-4 as a rookie for Philadelphia last season,
<< Rays continue road trip in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Although the Tampa Bay Rays still stand a good chance of
reaching the postseason, they haven't played like a playoff participant over
most of the team's current road trip. The American League Wild Card leaders
will attempt to
Rockies aiming to remain red-hot in opener with D-Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies have once again caught fire in
September to get themselves back into the postseason races. Tonight they'll go
for an eighth straight win when they open a three-game set with the Arizona
Diamondbacks at Co
Giants try to further close gap on West-leading Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The battle for National League West supremacy between the
San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres resumes this evening with the second
installment of a four-game series from Petco Park.
The Giants drew first blood with T
Bills place Mitchell on IR, sign Ayodele >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have placed linebacker
Kawika Mitchell on injured reserve because of a foot injury and signed veteran
linebacker Akin Ayodele to fill the roster spot.
Mitchell was hurt in practice on
Playoff Pickups >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's playoff time in the world of fantasy
baseball and if your lineup needs a little boost because some of your veterans
haven't performed up to par, then you should be scouring the waiver wire.
Fortunate
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.
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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