A's to open key road trip in Cleveland
Baseball Betting Lines
08/24/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are still alive in the playoff race
and will kick off a lengthy 10-game road trip tonight with the first of three
straight games against the Cleveland Indians from Progressive Field.
The A's are 8 1/2 games behind Texas for the top spot in the American League
West Division and lost the last two portions of a four-game weekend series
versus Tampa Bay at the Coliseum. In Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the Rays, Dallas
Braden absorbed the loss for giving up three runs in six decent innings of
work.
Gabe Gross had two hits and an RBI while Landon Powell finished 2-for-4 with
a run scored for Oakland, which has lost two straight since a four-game
winning streak and will also visit the Rangers and Yankees on the trek.
"He went out there and gave us six strong innings but we just didn't back him
[Sunday]," Gross said of Braden. "A lot of times you're going to win games
when your starter throws like that."
Gio Gonzalez hopes to get some run support when he takes the mound for the A's
in tonight's series opener. Gonzalez is 1-2 over his last three decisions and
did not figure into the outcome of a 5-4 win versus Toronto last Wednesday,
when he delivered seven innings of one-run ball.
Gonzalez, who is 10-8 with a 3.39 earned run average in 25 starts, hopes to
stay perfect in his career against the Indians. The lefty is 3-0 with a
sparkling 1.16 ERA in four career meetings -- all starts -- with Cleveland.
The Indians have lost seven of their last nine contests and were just swept in
three games at Detroit over the weekend. In an 8-1 setback in Sunday's series
finale, Jeanmar Gomez was saddled with the loss for permitting eight runs --
seven earned -- and 11 hits in only three innings.
Shin-Soo Choo had three hits -- including a home run -- for the Indians, who
will begin a nine-game homestand versus the A's, Royals and White Sox on
Tuesday.
"We were overmatched by their pitching staff in these three games," said Tribe
skipper Manny Acta after the loss. "Those three arms [the Tigers] threw at us,
we couldn't do anything against them offensively and that was the difference."
Taking the mound for Acta's club tonight will be Fausto Carmona, who has
dropped three straight starts and four of his last five outings. In last
Wednesday's 9-7 defeat at Kansas City, Carmona was battered for seven runs and
nine hits in five innings.
Carmona fell to 11-11 in 25 starts this season and saw his earned run average
rise from 3.87 to 4.14. The right-hander is 3-4 in nine career games (eight
starts) against the Athletics. Oakland beat Carmona on July 4 of this season.
The A's are 4-2 against Cleveland this season and have won nine of the past 13
matchups between the two teams.
<< Tigers await Damon's decision; resume set with KC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon could be playing his final game with Detroit
this evening when the Tigers continue their three-game series with the Kansas
City Royals at Comerica Park.
Damon was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red So
<< NL playoff hopefuls continue set in San Francisco
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants will be vying to build off a big
win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday when the two postseason contenders
continue an intriguing three-game series from AT&T Park this evening.
The Giants ente
<< Yankees, Jays continue series up north
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Moseley will try to slow down Jose Bautista this
evening when the New York Yankees continue their three-game series against the
Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Bautista hit home runs 39 and 40 on the season,
<< Red Sox hope Beckett can pitch past Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Boston Red Sox are going to get back to the
postseason, they are going to need Josh Beckett to start pitching like Josh
Beckett. The right-hander takes the hill this evening when the Red Sox
continu
<< Lewis leads Rangers into second test vs. Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Lewis will try to duplicate the terrific pitching
performance the Texas Rangers received on Monday when they play the second
test of their four-game series with the Minnesota Twins tonight at Rangers
Ballpar
Desperate Dodgers make a stop in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers hope to keep their slim playoff
hopes alive tonight, when they kick off a six-game road trip with the first of
three straight matchups against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Los Angeles is 7
White Sox seeking to bounce back against Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox are hoping an upcoming series with
the Baltimore Orioles will catapult them back into the playoff mix. The two
teams collide tonight in the opener of a three-game set at US Cellular Field.
Chicago is
Padres return home to battle Diamondbacks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres will try to pad their lead atop the
National League West standings when they open a three-game series versus the
division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks tonight from Petco Park.
San Diego is 5 1/2 games in
Mets to face Marlins ace in divisional clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson will try to win
consecutive starts for the first time in over a month when he takes the mound
tonight in the opener of a three-game road series versus the New York Mets.
Johnson was 0-2 wit
Report: Bobcats sign Kwame Brown >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats have reportedly
reunited former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown and new team owner Michael Jordan.
The Charlotte Observer reports the Bobcats have brought in Brown on a one-
year, $1
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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