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09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a much-needed series win, the playoff-hopeful St. Louis Cardinals know they still have a lot of work to do.
St. Louis continues that uphill battle this afternoon with the opener of a three-game series at Miller Park against a Milwaukee Brewers club that has given it some trouble this year.
The Cardinals went into a three-game weekend series with first-place Cincinnati on a five-game losing streak and eight games back of the top spot in the National League Central. The Cardinals did not fall any further behind after taking two of three in the set, with Sunday's 4-2 victory shaving a game off that deficit and pulling St. Louis to within 5 1/2 games of the NL Wild Card spot as well.
Matt Holliday blasted a three-run homer in the sixth inning for St. Louis and Chris Carpenter gave up just two runs over 7 1/3 innings while striking out a season-high 11 batters.
"When you can locate pitches, especially your fastball on both sides of the plate it makes your off-speed pitches that much better," Carpenter said. "If you locate those when you're ahead in the count, you're going to get strikeouts."
Jake Westbrook draws the starting assignment for the Cardinals as he faces the Brewers for the first time since June 17, 2006. Making his first-ever appearance against the club, the then-Indians hurler got a no-decision despite giving up just one unearned run over eight innings of work.
Westbrook picked up his first win with the Cardinals on Aug. 13 after getting dealt to the club from Cleveland, but has lost three straight starts since. He gave up three runs on nine hits over seven innings of a 3-0 setback in Houston on Monday, falling to 1-3 with a 4.03 earned run average in six starts with St. Louis and 7-10 with a 4.51 ERA in 27 starts total.
The Cardinals hope that a fresh face can get them on track versus the Brewers, who have won five of the last seven meetings between the teams to even the season series at six games apiece.
Today's starter for the Brewers, Yovani Gallardo, has never beaten the Cardinals, however, having gone 0-4 with a 6.32 ERA in six lifetime outings. He gave up six runs -- one earned -- over 2 2/3 innings the last time he faced St. Louis, back on July 4.
Gallardo left that outing early due to a side injury and did not pitch again until July 22, missing out on a chance to pitch in the All-Star Game. The 24- year-old righty has not been the same since that injury, as he is 3-3 with a 7.23 ERA in eight starts after notching a 2.58 ERA in 18 games prior to the ailment.
Gallardo has lost consecutive starts and has posted a 9.97 ERA over his last four outings. He lasted just five innings in Cincinnati on Tuesday, yielding eight runs on nine hits and three walks.
"There's not much I can do about it right now. There's still September," he told Milwaukee's website after falling to 11-7 with a 3.86 ERA on the season.
The Brewers halted a five-game losing streak with Sunday's 6-2 victory over the Phillies. Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer in the first inning to become the second player in club history to notch four straight 30-homer seasons. The other was Jeromy Burnitz from 1998-2001.
Rickie Weeks added three hits, scored once and drove in a run for the Brewers, who got 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball from Randy Wolf.
"It's nice to at least go home on a positive note," Brewers manager Ken Macha said.
<< Astros try to remain hot in Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recently red-hot lefty Wandy Rodriguez and his similarly
streaking Houston teammates try to make it three straight wins when the Astros
head to Wrigley Field today for the first of three consecutive games with the
host Chicag
<< Latos tries to end Padres 10-game slide in meeting with Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Mat Latos' quick emergence into a frontline pitcher is a
big reason why the San Diego Padres have stood atop the National League West
for the majority of the 2010 campaign. With his team mired in by far their
worst stretch o
<< Giants target first place as they continue road trip in Arizona
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With first place in the National League's West Division now
within their grasp, the San Francisco Giants continue a critical road trip
today with the first of three straight meetings with the Arizona Diamondbacks
from Chase F
<< Rockies hope to extend charge as they battle Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Don't look now, but the Colorado Rockies may about to be
putting together one of those strong September runs that has propelled them
into the postseason in years past.
After climbing back into the National League West rac
Underwhelming Madrid need special touch >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this
summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After
all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league
and cu
Rangers scratch Lee from Tuesday start >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have scratched lefty Cliff
Lee from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Blue Jays because of a
strained muscle in his lower back.
Lee was given an injection to deal with disc
Burke helping turn over new Leaf >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the past 12 months, the Toronto Maple
Leafs have advocated change more than a campaigning politician.
Like a political party during election season, the Leafs are under constant
scrutiny. And whe
Report: Ravens sign WR Houshmandzadeh >>
Culver City, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens added depth to the
wide receiver position by reportedly agreeing to a one-year contract with T.J.
Houshmandzadeh on Monday.
The NFL Network, among others, are reporting the signi
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. World Series odds are now up as well.
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 football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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