Peavy, Padres aim to get back on track against Phillies

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jake Peavy will try for his first win in over a month when his San Diego Padres conclude a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon at Petco Park.

Peavy's last victory came on June 19 against Baltimore, and the right-hander has gone 0-3 in four starts since. Peavy dropped two of his three starts prior to the All-Star game -- allowing three runs in each of the two setbacks -- before falling to 9-4 on the year with a defeat at the hands of the Mets on Tuesday.

Against New York, the right-hander was again tagged for three runs on six hits over six innings of a 7-0 loss, lifting his earned run average to 2.30 that is still second best in the majors.

Peavy, who is also tops in the National League with 130 strikeouts, is 2-1 in four career starts against the Phillies with a 2.60 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.

The All-Star starter will hope to fair better than David Wells, who was tagged for seven runs on seven hits in just 4 1/3 innings of the Padres' 12-4 setback to the Phillies on Saturday.

Milton Bradley hit a two-run homer as San Diego lost its second straight game and fell one game behind the Dodgers, who downed the Mets yesterday, for first place in the National League West.

Ryan Howard went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in Philadelphia's rout. Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs and Carlos Ruiz each had two RBI for the Phillies, who have won two straight after losing their previous two.

Jamie Moyer (8-8) snapped a personal three-game losing streak as he gave up four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.

The third-place Phillies currently trail the Mets by five games for the top spot in the NL East.

Hoping for another offensive explosion, J.D. Durbin will take the hill today for the Phillies coming off his first career victory. That win came on Tuesday when Durbin tossed six innings of one-run ball, working around six hits and two walks in a 15-3 rout of the Dodgers.

Durbin is playing with his fourth team this year -- he was released by Minnesota, Arizona and Boston -- and will make just his fourth big league start this afternoon and third with the Phillies.

The right-hander is 1-2 on the season with a 9.00 ERA. That includes a one- game stint with the Diamondbacks in which he allowed seven runs in just two- thirds of an inning back on April 4.

San Diego and Philadelphia are meeting for the first time with this series since the Padres won four of six games during the 2006 campaign. The Phillies, though, are 15-6 in their last 21 matchups with San Diego.

Mylinesheet Baseball Betting News

<< Unpack your bags: Rockies conclude road swing against Nats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies will try to end their road trip on a positive note when they play the final contest of a four-game series this afternoon with the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium. The Rockies have lost two of three

<< Giants, Brewers wrap anticipated set in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers will get one last look at Barry Bonds at home this season when they try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants this afternoon at Miller Park. The Brewers came into this s

<< Byrd is the word: Rangers try for split with Indians
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having snapped a three-game slide on Saturday, the Texas Rangers close out a four-game set against the Cleveland Indians tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Marlon Byrd erupted for five RBI, matching a career-high, a

<< Pirates wrap set with Astros at PNC Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros conclude a nine-game road trip this afternoon when they play the rubber match of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. On Saturday, Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche both drove in two run

<< Byrd, Rangers best Indians
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marlon Byrd matched his career high with five RBI as the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-5, in the third of a four-game set at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Byrd had a two-run double in th

Dodgers go for split with Mets in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try for a series split with the New York Mets, and maintain their new lead in the National League West, when the two clubs wrap their four-game series this afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Thanks

Cincinnati ends road trip in Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds will conclude their 11-game road trip this afternoon when they also wrap a four-game set with the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. Bronson Arroyo appears to be righting the ship to his season and wil

Braves conclude homestand versus Cardinals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves will attempt to wrap their 10-game homestand with a winning record tonight when they conclude a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Turner Field. Atlanta has taken two of the first three gam

Miyazato, Lee to battle for Match Play title >>
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato cruised to a 3 & 2 win over Maria Hjorth on Sunday to advance to the final at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship. Miyazato, the 12th seed, moves on to face 22nd-seed Seon Hwa Le

Darcis wins first ATP final at Dutch Open >>
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis upended unseeded Werner Eschauer of Austria in straight sets Sunday to win the Dutch Open title. It was the first career ATP championship for Darcis who came fr

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.