Padres send out Latos in hopes of taking set from Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos attempts to win his seventh straight decision this evening, when the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers close out a three-game series at Petco Park.

Latos, who had recently been sidelined with a strained left oblique brought on by a sneeze, has won his last six decisions and is 11-4 with a 2.48 earned run average on the year. He returned from the disabled list to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, holding them to two runs and seven hits in six innings.

"I thought he threw the ball well from the first inning on," Padres manager Bud Black said of Latos in his return. "Hopefully he'll do what he's done all year."

Latos has allowed just three runs over his last five starts and has also allowed two runs or less in 13 of his last 14 outings. He lost to the Dodgers in his only career start against them, which took place last season.

San Diego evened this series at a game apiece on Wednesday, as Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in three runs and Clayton Richard was solid in six innings on the mound, helping the Padres to a 6-1 win.

Richard (8-5) gave up one run on four hits for the Padres, who bounced back from a 2-0 loss in the opener of this series. He also struck out six and walked one.

Chris Denorfia, Nick Hundley, and Adrian Gonzalez each had an RBI for NL West- leading San Diego, which has won four of five.

"We really don't put that much pressure on ourselves," Hairston said. "We just got out and have fun. Maybe this team doesn't know any better, but that's a good thing."

Jamey Carroll knocked in the lone run for the Dodgers, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Hiroki Kuroda (8-9) went six-plus frames in the start, giving up three runs on four hits to take the loss. He also fanned five batters and walked two.

"He had good stuff today. We just couldn't get a win for him," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said of Kuroda afterward.

Getting the call for the Dodgers tonight will be righty Vicente Padilla, who is 4-3 with a 3.41 ERA. Padilla did not get a decision on Friday against the New York Mets, but allowed two runs (one earned) and six hits in seven innings of his team's 6-1 loss.

Padilla has faced the Padres 16 times (seven starts) and is 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA.

Los Angeles has won five of seven over the Padres this year, including a three-game sweep at Petco Park from May 14-16.

Wwbetcom Baseball Betting News

<< Indiana State seeking OC after Walters' departure
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana State is conducting a fast search to replace its offensive coordinator after Troy Walters resigned earlier this week to accept the position of wide receivers coach at Texas A&M. In his only seas

<< Giants, Posey aim to keep rolling in finale with Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buster Posey tries to match a San Francisco rookie record by hitting in his 22nd straight game this afternoon, while fellow rookie Madison Bumgarner shoots for a fifth straight win when the San Francisco Giants complete a fou

<< Jimenez hopes to bring Rockies' skid to a close in finale with Pirates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly slumping right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez has a few positives going for him today when he gets the call for the Colorado Rockies in the third and final game of their series with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Fi

<< Royals welcome Orioles to Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams seeking to end lengthy losing streaks begin a four-game series tonight at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, where the slumping Royals hope to get well at the expense of the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

<< Tigers go for a road win against Price
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been over a month since the Detroit Tigers last won a game on the road. A matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays and David Price doesn't seem to bode well for the struggling club's chances of ending that drought. Price w

Phils shoot for eighth straight win, sweep of D-Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Philadelphia Phillies wait for Roy Oswalt to approve a trade to them, they will shoot for a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Citizens Bank Park. According to multiple reports, the Phillies

White Sox put home streak on line in finale with Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try for their first 11-game home winning streak in 21 years this evening, when they attempt to complete a four- game sweep of the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago won for the 17th time

Newcastle defender Taylor to miss three months >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle center back Steven Taylor will be sidelined three months with a shoulder injury, the English Premier League club revealed Thursday. Taylor, 24, dislocated the shoulder in a preseason friendly

A's attempt to narrow gap in West in finale with Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After coming through with a much-needed victory on Wednesday, the Oakland Athletics will try to gain further ground on the American League West-leading Texas Rangers when the divisional rivals wrap up a three-game series toni

A-Rod tries once again for 600th home run in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Alex Rodriguez still on the verge of reaching one of baseball's most exclusive milestones, the New York Yankees will wrap up a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians tonight at Progressive Field. Rodriguez remain

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

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.