BoSox rally late to edge O's
Baseball Betting Lines
09/04/2008 -
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Cora scored the game-winning run in the
ninth to help the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles to
complete a three-game sweep at Fenway Park.
In the ninth, Cora led off with a single and Coco Crisp then reached first
with a bunt that just stayed fair along the right line. Jacoby Ellsbury then
laid down a bunt and pitcher Jim Miller (0-1) opted to go to third, but threw
the ball well wide of the bag and Cora came home for the win.
"We won a game that was losable, and we'll take every win we can get," said
Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored while
Mark Kotsay hit a two-run triple for the Red Sox, who have won five of six.
Daisuke Matsuzaka started on the mound and was charged with four runs -- three
earned -- on four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in six frames.
Justin Masterson (5-4) got the win for throwing two scoreless innings for
Boston, which trails Tampa Bay by three games for first place in the AL East.
The Rays lost, 8-4, to the Yankees Wednesday night.
Aubrey Huff went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Lance Cormier started on the
mound and gave up just two hits in three innings of work for the Orioles, who
have dropped their last six games. Cormier started in place of ace Jeremy
Guthrie, who was skipped a turn in the rotation due to a tired arm.
The Orioles went 0-6 on their road trip, during which time they allowed 60
runs.
"It just wasn't a good road trip, all in all," said Huff. "We didn't even win
a game on the whole road trip. We knew it would be a tough road trip with
these guys and Tampa at their place but we've got a lot of young guys up here
learning on the job and there's going to be a lot of lumps and there's going
to be some peaks and valleys with that. When you go young, you've got to just
keep playing the guys and that's the only way they're going to learn."
Baltimore got on the board in the first inning as Brian Roberts led off with a
double and later came home when Nick Markakis lofted a fly ball to center
field that Crisp dropped for a 1-0 lead.
The Orioles padded their lead further in the fourth. Huff led off with a
single and Oscar Salazar then worked a walk. Luke Scott brought home Huff
with a double to left center and Lou Montanez followed with a groundout to
plate Salazar. After Alex Cintron popped out, Guillermo Quiroz singled to
center to score Scott for a 4-0 lead.
Boston finally got on the board in the seventh inning. Jamie Walker started
the inning on the mound and got the first out, but Pedroia drove a pitch over
the Green Monster. Later with the bases loaded and Rock Cherry on the mound,
Crisp worked a walk to force home Jason Bay and make it a 4-2 game.
The Red Sox then tied the game in the eighth. With one out, David Ortiz walked
and Pedroia then doubled. Kotsay then cleared the bases with a triple off the
center field wall.
Game Notes
Baltimore batting coach Terry Crowley was ejected by home plate umpire Jeff
Nelson in the bottom of the ninth...Boston hits the road and starts a three-
game series in Texas on Friday...Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis missed
his second straight game with back spasms...The Orioles host Oakland for three
straight games starting on Friday...Boston took 12 of the 18 games against
Baltimore this season...It was Miller's first loss of his career...The Red Sox
sold out their 455th straight game, which tied a major league record set by
Cleveland from June 12, 1995 through April 2, 2001. Boston's current streak
started on May 15, 2003.
<< ChiSox grind out win against Tribe
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run home run as the
Chicago White Sox avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland
Indians with a 4-2 win at Progressive Field.
Orlando Cabrera drove in a run while
<< Around FCS: Week 2 - Top 25 Predictions
Philadelphia (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
SATURDAYS TOP-25 GAMES
Jacksonville (1-0) at No.1 Appalachian State (0-1) 3:30 p.m.
Appalachian State will look to rebound after their trip into the Bayou,
evacuating in time to avoid Hurricane Gustav
<< Nats win slugfest against Phils
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronnie Belliard had the go-ahead RBI
single in the eighth and Cristian Guzman hit a bases-clearing, three-run
double to put the game out of reach as the Nationals notched a 9-7 victory
over t
<< Cubs' Zambrano to miss next start
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano will miss
his next scheduled start Sunday against Cincinnati after meeting with the
team's orthopedic specialist Wednesday.
Manager Lou Piniella announced the decis
<< "Thunder" in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City's NBA team will be called
the Thunder.
The franchise formally revealed the nickname and logo at an afternoon press
conference on Wednesday.
"The bold, traditional lettering and shiel
The brothers LaRoche lead the Bucs past the Reds >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brothers Adam and Andy LaRoche each had RBI
singles in the eighth inning to boost Pittsburgh to a 6-5 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds.
Adam LaRoche, who ended an 0-for-16 slump, drove in two runs,
Blue Jays edge Twins in extras >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John McDonald's hit in the bottom of the 11th
inning sent Toronto past Minnesota, 5-4, in the middle contest of a three-game
set from Rogers Centre.
Eddie Guardado (3-4) allowed a leadoff double to Scott Role
Wolf leads 'Stros to eighth straight and sweep of Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Wolf threw his eighth career shutout,
guiding Houston to its eighth straight win and a three-game sweep of the
Chicago Cubs with a 4-0 triumph Wednesday night.
Wolf (9-11) scattered six hits and
Church's grand slam lifts Mets over Brewers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Church set the tone with a grand
slam in the first inning and New York went on to beat Milwaukee, 9-2, to
complete a three-game sweep at Miller Park.
Brian Schneider added a solo homer fo
Tigers top Angels with late runs >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson tripled in the go-ahead run
in the seventh and the Detroit Tigers went on to post a 9-6 win over the LA
Angels of Anaheim, in the second of three games from Comerica Park.
Placido Polanc
Sportsbooks to bet on football
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.
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 sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
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