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08/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have used the best home record in baseball to climb atop the National League East standings, but an inability to win on the road could cost them a chance at the playoffs.
Atlanta, losers of eight of their last 11 as the guest, will try to snap the Houston Astros' home winning streak at six games and even a three-game series this evening at Minute Maid Park.
The Braves came to town fresh off a 5-2 homestand and with a two-game lead over Philadelphia for first place in the NL East. However, a 10-4 setback last night shaved that edge by a half-game over the idle Phillies and dropped Atlanta to just 25-33 on the road, compared to 38-15 as the host.
Atlanta committed three errors in last night's loss, including two during a six-run seventh inning for Houston. Brian McCann had a go-ahead two-run homer for the Braves in the sixth frame, but his throwing error in the seventh allowed two runs to score.
The Braves, who have lost three in a row on the road, got a decent outing from Mike Minor in his MLB debut. The seventh overall pick of the 2009 draft allowed four runs -- three earned -- on five hits over six innings.
"I don't think [Minor] was nervous, he didn't appear that way," said Atlanta manager Bobby Cox. "He had great mound presence and he made some pitches when he had to. He gave up a couple bloopers in the third inning that hurt. Then we gave up a ton of bloopers in the seventh inning that hurt."
One bright spot for the Braves was Omar Infante, who extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 12 straight games. He his 20-for-53 over the run for a .377 average.
Chris Johnson highlighted Houston's big frame with a two-run single and drove in three runs in all while scoring twice for the Astros, who snapped a four- game slide both overall and to the Braves. They were swept in three games in Atlanta from April 30-May 2, getting outscored 21-4.
Carlos Lee had two hits, drove in a pair and scored twice in the win.
"It's nice to see the guys run the bases like they did, aggressively and putting pressure on (the other team)," said Houston manager Brad Mills.
Mills will go tonight with J.A. Happ, who makes his third start since being acquired from Philadelphia as part of a package that sent Roy Oswalt to the Phillies.
Happ was excellent in his Houston debut on July 30, hurling six shutout innings in a victory over the Brewers. However, the 27-year-old was hammered for a career-high seven runs on six hits and walked three while recording just three outs in a loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday.
"He just didn't seem like he was able to make adjustments," Mills said. "He did a great job doing that last time, and that wasn't the case [Wednesday]. He just wasn't able to make those adjustments and get him back down in the zone."
The 27-year-old is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in five starts this year and 2-0 with a 2.23 ERA in six career games versus the Braves, five of those starts.
Atlanta counters with Jair Jurrjens, who after allowing a total of nine runs in rough back-to-back road outings, returned to the win column on Thursday with six innings of two-run ball versus San Francisco. The 24-year-old gave up seven hits and walked three while improving to 4-4 with a 4.48 ERA on the year.
Jurrjens has yet to win on the road in 2010, having gone 0-4 with a 7.63 ERA. He has also made just one career start versus Houston, allowing a run on four hits over two innings on May 2 of last year. The 24-year-old got a no-decision after exiting early due to a rain delay.
<< Reds, Cardinals resume key set between NL Central's best
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals were able to cut their division
deficit in half on Monday thanks to Chris Carpenter's continued domination of
the Cincinnati Reds. They'll find the shoe on the other foot this evening.
St. Louis wil
<< Strasburg returns to face Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Strasburg returns to the mound just in time for
the Washington Nationals' latest homestand, which begins tonight with the
first of three straight matchups against the Florida Marlins.
Strasburg hasn't pitched sinc
<< Phillies hope for some home cooking in opener with Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outstanding play at home has helped the Philadelphia
Phillies close in on first place in the National League's East Division, while
the Los Angeles Dodgers are in danger of falling out of the playoff picture in
part due to t
<< Giants send Lincecum to the hill in test with Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants like their chances of keeping
pace in the NL West with Tim Lincecum set to take the hill tonight. Lincecum
will shoot for his 12th win of the season in the second portion of a four-game
series versus
Slumping Pelfrey to face Jimenez in Mets-Rockies opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez appears to have put his
brief troubles behind him. New York Mets starter Mile Pelfrey has not.
Jimenez aims for a club record 18th victory of the season, while Pelfrey tries
for his firs
Shaq says move to Boston is all about winning >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal brought his effervescent smile
to Boston on Tuesday and said he hopes to bring another title to the NBA's
most-storied franchise.
Dressed in a suit with a bow tie, although not green
The Pac-10 keeps its streak alive >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not many betting angles stand the test of
time, but the Pac-10 has one to definitely keep an eye on.
The league has now posted 10 straight seasons of above .500 ATS records in
non-conference play, w
Gaming: The Pac-10 keeps its streak alive >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not many betting angles stand the test of
time, but the Pac-10 has one to definitely keep an eye on.
The league has now posted 10 straight seasons of above .500 ATS records in
non-conference play, w
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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