Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Mets are starting to shake things up in an effort to halt their current skid, the Marlins have been taking advantage of the club's struggles on the road.
Florida will try for its first ever four-game sweep at home of New York this afternoon in the finale of their set at Sun Life Stadium.
The Marlins have won three straight for the first time all season, taking last night's contest by a 7-5 margin. They have also won five of their last six and seek their first four-game sweep of the Mets since Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2004 in New York.
The Mets, meanwhile, have lost a season-high-tying four games in a row and have yet to win a road series this year, going 4-11 as the guest in 2010. They have dropped their first five road series for the first time since 1991.
New York began altering its look on Saturday, deciding to move struggling starter Oliver Perez to the bullpen while also moving Jose Reyes back to the leadoff spot from the three hole. Reyes went 2-for-5 and scored twice, but Mets starter John Maine walked the first three batters he faced and ended up allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks over five innings.
"That was really shocking and surprising that he couldn't find it at that point," said Mets manager Jerry Manuel about Maine's early struggles. "I felt he threw the first couple pitches close and then all of a sudden, he was nowhere near the strike zone. It's tough to take. It puts you in a tough position because you don't want to start going to the bullpen in the very first inning."
Cameron Maybin drove in three runs to match a career high, while Jorge Cantu and Hanley Ramirez both ended with three hits for the Marlins, who have won five straight and 11 of their last 15 over the Mets.
"This is the start of something right here," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said on his team's website. "We swung the bats. We haven't been firing on all cylinders. But we've been swinging it now. Maybin had a big game."
Looking to pitch the Marlins to the sweep will be Ricky Nolasco, who will try to find some success at home this afternoon.
The right-hander is 0-2 with a 7.31 earned run average in three starts this year at Sun Life Stadium and he lost back-to-back starts at home to Washington and San Francisco before winning in Chicago on Tuesday. Nolasco held the Cubs to just a run on five hits and one walk over seven innings, improving to 3-2 on the season with a 3.66 ERA.
Nolasco, 27, is 3-6 with a 5.82 ERA in his career versus the Mets and he did not factor into the decision of an April 7 start against them. Nolasco allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings in that outing, striking out five.
The Mets' Jon Niese will take on the lone club to beat him this year when he faces the Marlins today. The 23-year-old gave up three runs on eight hits over six innings in a setback to Florida on April 8, his first ever start against the club.
Though Niese hasn't lost since, he also has just one win over his last six starts and has struggled in his last two outings. He has allowed 10 runs and 18 hits in that span since besting the Phillies on April 30, allowing six runs on six hits and a season-high-tying five walks over 4 1/3 innings versus the Nationals on Tuesday.
For the season, the lefty is 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA.
<< Tigers, Red Sox close out set in Motown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the midst of a 10-game homestand, the Detroit Tigers try
to finish off the visiting Boston Red Sox this afternoon as the teams close
out a three-game set at Comerica Park.
The Tigers, who will be hosting division foe Ch
<< Sharks host Blackhawks in Game 1 of West finals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two seeds in the West will begin their battle for
the conference title today, when the San Jose Sharks host the Chicago
Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at HP Pavilion.
The top-seeded Sharks en
<< Yankees try to sweep another set at home versus Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees seek to continue their domination over
the visiting Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set this afternoon
at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
The Yankees have been anything but gracious hosts to
<< Blue Jays go for fourth consecutive win in finale with Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting the longest current win streak in the American
League, the Toronto Blue Jays try to make it four in a row this afternoon as
they entertain the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game set at the
Rogers Centre.
Rays close out series with Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top team in the American League tries to put some more
distance between itself and the rest of the AL East today as the Tampa Bay
Rays settle in for the finale of a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners
at Tropicana
Flyers, Habs begin East finals in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference finals are set to begin tonight in
Philadelphia, as a pair of surprising teams meet at the Wachovia Center for
Game 1 between the host Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Flyers and Canadiens ente
Haren, D-Backs set for finale with Braves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Dan Haren gets the call with a chance for a
series win today when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit Turner Field for the
finale of their three-game set with the host Atlanta Braves.
The Diamondbacks, who were bea
Pirates hope to leave Chicago with sweep of Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas-born righty Ross Ohlendorf faces the Chicago Cubs for
the second time in a brief major-league career today when the Pittsburgh
Pirates visit Wrigley Field to close out a three-game series.
The Pirates have won the fi
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting