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04/22/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two young left-handers will go head-to-head when the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers continue a three-game series tonight at the Rogers Centre.
David Purcey gets the call for the homestanding Jays tonight and will make another attempt at earning his first victory of 2009. The former first-round pick, who turns 27 today, is 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions over his first three starts, but he's pitched to a subpar 6.46 earned run average during those outings.
Walks have been a problem for Purcey in the early going, as he's issued 13 free passes in just 15 1/3 innings of work. He walked four batters in a poor 3 2/3-inning stint against Oakland this past Friday, a game in which the University of Oklahoma product allowed five runs in a no-decision.
Purcey faced the Rangers once as a rookie last season and took the loss in an 8-4 verdict in Arlington on August 3. He served up three home runs in that game and was charged with five runs allowed in five innings.
Matt Harrison gets the call for Texas tonight and is also seeking his first win of the young season. The 23-year-old has suffered the loss in each of his initial two starts of 2009, including a home setback to Kansas City on Friday.
Harrison worked five innings against the Royals but was reached for six runs on eight hits, including a pair of homers, while walking four batters. He doled out five free passes in his season debut at Detroit on April 11, while surrendering four runs over 5 2/3 frames.
A third-round selection by Atlanta in the 2003 draft, Harrison posted a 9-3 record in 15 starts as a rookie for the Rangers last season. He will be opposing Toronto for the first time.
Texas won Tuesday's opener of this set by a 5-4 score, with Ian Kinsler's two- run homer in the top of the seventh inning snapping a 3-3 tie.
Nelson Cruz also had a two-run blast for the Rangers, who were coming off a 6-5 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, while starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (2-0) held the Jays to three runs over six innings to record the win.
Roy Halladay (3-1) was handed his first defeat of 2009 after the Toronto ace permitted all five Texas runs in an eight-inning stint. Halladay did strikeout nine without a walk, however.
Aaron Hill finished 2-for-5 with a solo homer for the AL East-leading Blue Jays, who had won four of five coming in.
Texas split its eight games with the Blue Jays last season, but won both matchups held at the Rogers Centre.
<< Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Draft Preview (Revised)
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After acquiring Byron Leftwich via free agency, Tampa
Bay can now concentrate on a position other than quarterback with its only
selection among the first 80 picks. The Buccaneers front four played very
poorly down the stretc
<< Giants, Padres wrap brief set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants have had their problems on the
road during the early part of this season, but they've been quite good at home
so far.
The Giants shoot for a sweep of a brief two-game series with the San Diego
Pad
<< Haren hopes for a little support versus Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren hopes his string of hard-luck starts comes to an
end when the Arizona hurler takes the hill for the Diamondbacks in today's
rubber match of a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Haren has
<< Pirates go for sweep of Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Marlins haven't managed many runs versus the Pirates
and they haven't even faced their top pitcher yet. Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm
looks to extend his torrid start today in the finale of a three-game set with
Florida at PNC
Cubs' Lilly takes hill vs. Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago's Ted Lilly will try for a rare win over Cincinnati
tonight, when the Cubs resume their three-game set with the Reds at Wrigley
Field.
Lilly is just 1-5 with a 5.24 earned run average in nine career starts vers
Phils, Brewers resume set in South Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Joe Blanton faced the Brewers, he pitched the
Phillies into the NLDS. Getting the Phillies over .500 tonight would be a nice
encore.
Philadelphia sends Blanton to the hill tonight in the second game of a thr
Nats aim for sweep of Braves in DC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals will try to continue their sudden
surge this evening, as they aim for a sweep of a three-game series with the
Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park.
The Nationals began the season just 1-10, a star
Philadelphia Eagles 2009 Draft Preview (Revised) >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eagles took care of a major offseason need last week,
when they acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters from the Bills in a
package that sent the team's No. 28 overall pick to Buffalo. With that need
out of the way, Ph
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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