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Braden set for debut as A's battle OriolesBaseball Betting Lines04/24/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie southpaw Dallas Braden will make his major-league debut today when the Oakland Athletics travel to Camden Yards to finish out a two-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. The 23-year-old native of Phoenix was a 24th-round selection of the Athletics in the 2004 draft. He's getting the call in place of Oakland's Rich Harden, who was recently placed on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Braden, a product of Texas Tech University, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 183 pounds. He's made three starts this season for the Athletics' affiliates in Midland (Class AA) and Sacramento (Class AAA), going 1-0 with a 1.50 earned run average. Baltimore will also go with a little-used replacement in the form of 28-year- old righty Jeremy Guthrie, who's getting the call in place of Jaret Wright -- also on the disabled list with right shoulder problems. Guthrie was a first-round selection (22nd overall) of the Cleveland Indians in the 2002 draft, but made just 16 appearances - one start - with the Tribe from 2004-2006 before coming to Baltimore. This season, in three relief outings, Guthrie has surrendered nine hits and three runs in eight innings. He's faced Oakland once in relief in his career, allowing three hits and two runs in three innings of work. On Monday, Nick Swisher ripped two home runs, one from each side of the plate, knocking in three as the Athletics held on for a wild 6-5 win over the Orioles. Dan Haren (2-2) pitched seven strong innings to earn the win, scattering five hits and one run while striking out five and walking one. Huston Street came on in the ninth and, despite allowing two hits and a run, got his fifth save of the season. Erik Bedard (3-2) gave up seven hits and five runs while fanning six in 4 2/3 innings for the Orioles. Brian Roberts went 3-for-5 for Baltimore, hitting a solo shot and knocking in another run. Aubrey Huff hit a three-run shot in the eighth, but Baltimore's comeback fell short. The Athletics won four of the six meetings last season and improved to 12-2 at Baltimore since the start of the 2004 season. Overall, Oakland has won nine of its last 11 meetings with the Orioles.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of veteran pitchers will again be seeking a first win of the 2007 season when the Seattle Mariners visit Rangers Ballpark today for the finale of a two-game series with Texas. Seattle will start 32-year-old
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson makes his much-anticipated debut tonight when the Arizona Diamondbacks open a three-game series against the NL West-rival San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Johnson was re-acquired by the Diamondbacks in an off
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FOOTBALL BETTINGAfter all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer. Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise. Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games. So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver. In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team. For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC. The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’. The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs. |
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