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Division leaders collide as Rangers host TwinsBaseball Betting Lines08/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers return home to face the Minnesota Twins in a potential playoff preview when the division leaders square off tonight in the first of four straight games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Texas, vying for its first postseason appearance since 1999, comes into tonight's matchup holding an eight-game lead on both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Oakland Athletics in the American League West, while the Twins sit five games in front of the Chicago White Sox in the Central. After getting swept in a three-game series by the Tampa Bay Rays to start their seven-game road trip, the Rangers managed a split in their four-game affair with the lowly Baltimore Orioles after capturing Sunday's finale at Camden Yards. Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero hit three-run home runs in support of Tommy Hunter's eight effective innings as Texas topped Baltimore, 6-4, on Sunday. Hamilton finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Guerrero, Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus each added a pair of hits for the Rangers, who despite the poor trip, lost just a half-game to their competitors in the standings. "We could have come off the road trip a lot worse than we did -- what did we lose, one game [in the standings]?" Hamilton pointed out. "But it could have been a lot worse. It was good we hung in there." Hunter (10-2) permitted three runs on five hits without a strikeout or a walk and was followed by Neftali Feliz, who allowed a ninth-inning home run but managed to earn his 31st save for Texas, which improved to 8-11 in August. "He was hitting his spots," said Rangers manager Ron Washington in grading Hunter's outing. "He had his cutter working, he had his changeup working, everything was down in the zone. He was spotting his fastball and getting quick outs. When he does that, you'll get the performance you got out there [Sunday]." Heading to the hill for the Rangers tonight will be right-hander Rich Harden, who hasn't pitched since August 7 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. Harden had lost three of his last four starts before being put on the disabled list and is just 4-4 with a 5.45 ERA on the year. Harden is 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA in five starts against the Twins. Minnesota, meanwhile, continues to be one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning eight of its last 10 games after taking two of three from the Angels over the weekend. On Sunday, Michael Cuddyer hit a three-run double to back Scott Baker's solid performance on the mound as the Twins rolled to a 4-0 victory in the rubber match of that set at Target Field. Danny Valencia hit a solo homer for the Twins, who ended a nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record. "They're all big games right now," Cuddyer said. "You've got to win each and every game. It was a good homestand for us. Hopefully we can go play well on the road." Baker (11-9) pitched seven scoreless innings to win his fourth straight decision. The right-hander struck out four and walked two to beat Los Angeles for the first time in his career. He came into the game with an 0-5 mark in eight career starts against the Angels. The Twins have gone 17-6 against the AL West this season. Hoping to keep the Twins in the win column this evening will be right-hander Nick Blackburn, who hasn't pitched in the majors since July 25 but was recalled in place of the injured Kevin Slowey. Francisco Liriano was actually supposed to start tonight's tilt, but has been pushed back a day to give him extra rest. Blackburn, who is 7-7 with a 6.66 ERA on the year, is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts versus the Rangers. Minnesota swept the Rangers in a three-game set at Target Field earlier in the year and has won seven of the last nine matchups in the series.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox shoot for a third straight win this evening, when they open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. After dropping the opener of their set with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday,
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NFL Football BettingBILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover. BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week. COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy. TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win. RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win. PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start. JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch. SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do. VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams. DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home. SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one. BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1. BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses. RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw. PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting. |
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