 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Blue Jays, Rays continue set in TampaBaseball Betting Lines04/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two rookie standouts from 2009 meet early in their sophomore seasons tonight when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Tampa Bay Rays for the middle contest of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. Lefty Ricky Romero was 13-9 in 29 first-year starts for Toronto last season, splitting a pair of starts against the Rays while allowing 11 hits and four runs in 14 innings with 13 strikeouts. He's gone seven or more innings in all three starts so far in 2010, allowing a combined 11 hits in 23 innings while picking up a no-decision, a win against the Chicago White Sox and a loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, Romero allowed a .284 batting average to opponents in 178 innings last season, but has dropped that clip to .143 in his initial three starts in April. Romero has struck out 22 batters and walked six. For the Rays, 6-foot-9 righty Jeff Niemann also starts for the fourth time in 2010. The fourth overall pick in 2004, Niemann initially reached the majors with five appearances and a 2-2 record for the Rays in 2008, then made 31 appearances last season while emerging as a reliable starter with a 13-6 record and 3.94 earned run average. He's 2-1 in three lifetime starts against Toronto, allowing 21 hits and 12 runs in 20 1/3 innings. Through three starts this season, Niemann has pitched 15 1/3 innings while surrendering 13 hits and five runs. The Blue Jays were rude visitors in winning Friday's opener, when Jose Bautista registered three doubles and an RBI in a 6-5 win. Vernon Wells added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won three of four. Alex Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs driven in and Aaron Hill blasted a solo homer in his first game back from the disabled list. Brett Cecil (1-0) made his 2010 debut in place of the injured Brian Tallet and allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 6 2/3 frames. Cecil struck out eight in the victory, while Kevin Gregg collected his fifth save of the season. Gabe Kapler hit a two-run homer, while Willy Aybar added a solo shot for the Rays, who were coming off a franchise-best 9-1 road trip. Matt Garza (3-1), who came into the game with an AL-best 0.75 earned run average, yielded five runs, eight hits and four walks in five frames. He was seeking to become the first Rays starter in history to win each of his first four starts. Tampa Bay was an impressive 14-4 last season versus the Jays.
<< Durant, Thunder try and even series vs. Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The upstart Oklahoma City Thunder hope to deadlock their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers tonight. The Thunder got back in the set on Thursday when Kevin Durant sco
<< Hawks-Bucks series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3
<< Suns shoot for 3-1 lead on banged-up Blazers
<< Magic aim for commanding 3-0 series lead in Charlotte
<< NHL rescinds instigator penalty to Bruins' Chara
Orioles turn to rookie Matusz versus Red Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of the Baltimore Orioles' wins this season have come with rookie Brian Matusz on the hill. The woeful O's hope that trend continues tonight when they continue their three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Par
Tigers send Willis to the hill against Rangers >>
White Sox and Mariners get together again in Chicago >>
Anderson aims for solid start as A's resume set with Indians >>
Mets target back-to-back wins over Braves >>
Online Sportsbook Football BettingColts give the ‘D’ its dueThe Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain. They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities. "They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure." Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line. New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest. Not so sound on the ground If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU. Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com “We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star. Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. Brees says bring it on Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites. Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship. Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game. "I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time." SportsBooks ready for a shootout Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses. “This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.” New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts. The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game. “Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.” |
|
