Rookies square off in Marlins-Nationals tilt
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of rookies face their respective opponents - and each other - for the first time tonight, when the Washington Nationals visit the Florida Marlins for the middle test of a three-game series at Land Shark Stadium.
The host Marlins send imposing 6-foot-8 left-hander Sean West to the mound in search of a second straight win in his eighth career start.
The 23-year-old defeated Baltimore, 11-3, in his last outing, allowing four hits and striking out two in six scoreless innings.
He debuted May 23 against Tampa Bay with a no-decision and got another against the New York Mets six days later, then lost to Milwaukee on June 5 before rattling off wins in three of his subsequent four starts.
In the three wins, West has allowed 10 hits and four runs in 19 2/3 innings. In the losses, he's given up 14 hits and 10 runs in 8 1/3 innings.
In five outings in Miami, West is 2-2 with a 3.29 earned run average.
For the Nationals, recent second-round draft choice Jordan Zimmermann tries to make it two straight wins after a nine-start drought without one.
The 2007 draftee, also 23 years old, downed Atlanta and the Mets in his first two starts in late April before going 0-3 with six no-decisions in his subsequent nine tries.
He ended the skid Thursday against Boston, however, allowing five hits and a run in seven innings of a 9-3 Washington win.
The Wisconsin native is 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA in five road starts.
On Monday, Ricky Nolasco worked a crisp eight innings and the Marlins rallied for a pair of runs in the eighth to post a 4-2 win in this series opener.
Nolasco (5-6) continued an impressive stretch in earning a third consecutive win and is unbeaten over his past four starts -- all Florida wins. The right- hander allowed just four hits and two runs while recording eight strikeouts and zero walks.
After winning five straight games that included a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, Florida was coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay.
Hanley Ramirez, fresh off being named National League Player of the Week on Monday, was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Florida, while Emilio Bonifacio and Cody Ross knocked in key runs in the eighth inning.
Scott Olsen, who played with the Marlins from 2005-2008, fired seven strong innings against his old mates. The Washington lefty allowed just six hits and two runs while fanning a season-high seven with zero walks.
Olsen hadn't pitched since losing to Philadelphia on May 16 and was activated from the disabled list on Sunday after missing time because of left shoulder tendinitis.
Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo home run and Josh Willingham had two hits and scored for Washington, which has two wins in its last eight tries.
Florida has won the first seven matchups with Washington this season and eight straight overall in the series. The Marlins went 14-3 against the Nationals in 2008.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Dan Haren looks for a measure of midseason revenge tonight, when his Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Cincinnati for the opener of a three-game series with the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Haren, a 16-game
<< Rays put win streak on the line in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays bested one of the best pitchers in the
majors last night and will try to duplicate that success Tuesday, when they
resume a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The Rays knoc
<< Yankees host Mariners in the Bronx
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-throwing right-hander Joba Chamberlain tries again for
win No. 1 on his new home field tonight, when the New York Yankees host the
Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Chamberlai
<< Indians send Lee to hill vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Cliff Lee goes for two straight wins over Chicago and
three straight overall when his Cleveland Indians host the White Sox tonight
in the middle game of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
The American Leag
<< Cubs, Pirates resume series in the Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs will try to get back to the .500 mark this
evening, when they resume a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates
at PNC Park.
Chicago ended a two-game losing streak with Monday's 3-1 win over the Pi
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies will close out the last portion of their current road trip with the first of three straight games against the NL East-rival Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Philadelphia is 2 1/2 games ahead of the
Brewers aim to extend Mets' recent misery >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Milwaukee Brewers are improving their stance in
the National League Central, they're making it very difficult for the New York
Mets to climb the NL East standings.
The NL Central-leading Brewers will resume a thr
Johnson, Giants vie for another win over reeling Cards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless lefty Randy Johnson seeks a third straight win and
a fifth in six decisions tonight, when the San Francisco Giants visit Busch
Stadium for game two of four against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants won the o
Seattle's Jaqua wins MLS Player of the Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua claimed
Major League Soccer's Player of the Week award for Week 15.
Jaqua tallied two goals and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory over the Colorado
Rapids in front of mo
D.C. United releases Peters >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United has released defender Anthony
Peters. The 25-year old was originally signed by United in March, and made one
appearance in the U.S. Open Cup.
"We'd like to thank Anthony for his hard work an
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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