Martinez, Red Sox invade Cleveland's Progressive Field

Baseball Betting Lines

06/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outstanding play over the past three weeks has made the Boston Red Sox a factor once again in the American League East race. If the team's performance against the Cleveland Indians in recent years is any indication, that run could very well continue for at least a few more days.

The surging Red Sox continue a week-long road trip tonight with the first of four straight meetings with the Cleveland Indians, who'll be seeing a familiar face in the opposing uniform when they take the field.

Boston stood one game under .500 and in fourth place in the division standings on May 17, but has amassed an AL-best 14-5 record since to vault back in contention. While the Red Sox are currently tied for third in the competitive AL East, they've moved within 4 1/2 games of front-running Tampa Bay and enter tonight's play 2 1/2 back of the rival New York Yankees for second.

The Red Sox continued their strong play by pounding the wayward Baltimore Orioles by a combined 19-2 score in back-to-back tests to begin their current seven-game trek, although the club wasn't able to record the sweep in Sunday's series finale. That game wasn't decided until the 11th inning, when the Orioles' Nick Markakis came through with an RBI single to give his team a 4-3 win, Baltimore's first since Juan Samuel replaced Dave Trembley as manager.

Cesar Izturis drew a walk against Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima (2-2) to begin the bottom of the 11th and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before Miguel Tejada was intentionally walked. Nick Markakis then stepped to the plate and blooped a single to center to plate Izturis and end the Orioles' 10- game losing streak.

Boston trailed 3-2 entering the ninth inning but sent the contest into extra innings when Mike Cameron led off with a single, took third on a one-out base hit from Marco Scutaro, and scored on Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice fly.

Victor Martinez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer to lead the Red Sox offensively, while starting pitcher John Lackey held Baltimore to two runs on seven hits over the first seven innings despite not factoring in the final outcome.

"Honestly, it wasn't a whole lot different than I've been pitching," said the previously-struggling Lackey. "I was able to get some outs with guys on base, most of the balls were on the ground, turned a double play or two. It was pretty nice."

Martinez has played a big part in Boston's resurgence, as the switch-hitting catcher is batting a scorching .463 (25-for-54) with five homers and 12 RBI singe May 17. The former Indian, traded by Cleveland to the Red Sox just prior to last July's deadline, will be making his first appearance at Progressive Field since the deal tonight.

Martinez will be taking swings against former battery mate Fausto Carmona, who takes the mound for the Tribe in the opener out to stop a personal three-start losing streak. The right-hander hasn't pitched that badly during the skid, having posted a 4.05 earned run average over those three games and lasting at least six innings on each occasion.

Carmona tossed his first complete game of the season his last time out, albeit in a 3-0 loss at fellow AL Central member Detroit on Wednesday. In his eight innings of work, the 26-year-old allowed only two earned runs on nine hits and did not walk a batter.

The native Dominican has gone 4-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 11 overall starts this season, but is just 1-2 with a 5.94 ERA over five regular-season appearances against the Red Sox, three of which have come in a starting role.

Carmona will go head-to-head tonight against the unpredictable Daisuke Matsuzaka, who continued his good start-bad start pattern in Wednesday's matchup with Oakland. The Japanese star limited the Athletics to three runs over 6 2/3 innings in Boston's 6-4 win, striking out seven without issuing a walk in the process.

Five days prior to that assignment, Matsuzaka walked a whopping eight batters in 4 2/3 innings and was reached for three runs in a loss to Kansas City. That poor start followed an eight-inning gem at Philadelphia on May 22 in which the right-hander did not give up a run and yielded his only hit with two out in the bottom of the eighth.

Matsuzaka has registered a troubling 6.75 ERA in three road starts this year, surrendering 14 runs (13 earned) and walking 10 over 17 1/3 total innings. He does own a 2-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in three career meetings with Cleveland, however, and fired seven shutout innings to beat the Indians in his lone regular-season outing at Progressive Field, which took place on July 24, 2007.

Boston has dominated this series over the past few years, winning 15 of 18 non-playoff matchups with the Tribe since the start of the 2007 campaign. The Red Sox have compiled a 7-2 record at Progressive Field over that span.

The AL Central cellar-dwelling Indians are coming off an encouraging series win on the road, however, taking two of three bouts from the slumping White Sox over the weekend. Chicago was able to avert a sweep with an 8-7 decision in Sunday's finale, rallying from an early four-run deficit.

Jhonny Peralta went 2-for-3 with three RBI for Cleveland and Lou Marson gave the Indians a 6-2 advantage with a three-run homer in the top of the third inning, but starter Jake Westbrook failed to hold the lead and was tagged for six runs on seven hits before exiting after 4 2/3 innings.

The White Sox went ahead on Carlos Quentin's two-run single off Jensen Lewis with two out in the bottom of the seventh, snapping a 6-6 deadlock.

"I'm disappointed that we couldn't win the ball game," said Indians manager Manny Acta. "We started the right way -- scoring six runs off their number one guy [Mark Buehrle], chasing him out after the third inning."

Lesseters Baseball Betting News

<< Astros head to Colorado hoping to continue strong stretch
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Offense hasn't been the Houston Astros' strength this season, but they were able to swing the bats well over a recently-completed homestand. That has Houston looking for a sixth victory in seven games this evening, when i

<< Reds' Cueto aims to keep win streak intact in opener vs. Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds starter Johnny Cueto was bailed out by an offensive surge his last time out to keep his current unbeaten streak intact. He'll try not to rely on the bats tonight in his first career appearance against the San

<< Phillies shoot for much-needed series win over Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have won just two series since mid-May and have a chance to make it three tonight, when they close out a four-game set versus the San Diego Padres from Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies swept Milwa

<< Angels take winning streak into Oakland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim take their torrid play into the Oakland Coliseum for a key four-game series with the fellow American League West member Athletics that begins this evening. The three-time defending d

<< In the FCS Huddle: Roles reversed in the SWAC
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Those "How did you spend your summer vacation?" papers were given an early twist at Prairie View A&M. During spring practices, head coach Henry Frazier III had each of his players write a half- page paper

Braves' trip continues with stop in Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves cooled off a bit out West at the start of their 11-game road trip. A trip to Arizona to facing the struggling Diamondbacks should be enough to get them rolling again. National League East-leading Atlanta

Rangers host Mariners at the Ballpark >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers will attempt to continue their season- long success at home when the current American League West leaders welcome one of the worst road teams in the majors, the Seattle Mariners, to Rangers Ballpar

Dodgers, Cardinals to face off in NLDS rematch >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing in close games has become a habit of the Los Angeles Dodgers as of late. That wasn't the case the last time they faced the St. Louis Cardinals. Los Angeles and St. Louis square off for the first time since last sea

Selig and MLB slow to stifle replay controversy >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To say Jim Joyce feels bad for costing Armando Galarraga's chance at history would be a gross understatement. But consider the silver lining that came from one of the game's all-time gaffes; the realization th

Drosselmeyer: Not the best horse last Saturday >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drosselmeyer won the 142nd Belmont Stakes but the most promising colt that ran at Belmont Park was not even entered in a stakes race. The fourth race on the card gave horseplayers a glimpse of future grea

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.