Blue Jays sent Halladay to hill versus Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

08/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim target their fourth straight win this evening when they open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

Los Angeles, which will be starting a seven-game road trip tonight, enters this series on the heels of sweeping the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, outscoring them 20-6 and improving their major league best home record to 40-17. The Angels have won six of seven, 12 of their last 17 and still hold a three-game edge on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

As good as the Angels have been at home, they have struggled away from the friendly confines of Angel Stadium this season, going just 29-30 on the road. They, along with the Milwaukee Brewers, are the only division leaders with a losing record on the road.

Hoping to reverse that trend tonight will be 26-year-old left-hander Joe Saunders, who is 6-0 with a 3.46 earned run average. Saunders' most recent win came last Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox, as he allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Saunders has faced the Jays just twice in his career, going 1-0 against them with a sparkling 1.80 ERA.

The Blue Jays will counter with ace right-hander Roy Halladay, who is an impressive 9-1 in 12 home starts this season. Halladay won his second straight start at Rogers Centre on Wednesday against the New York Yankees, as he surrendered four runs and six hits in seven innings to run his record to 13-5 on the year to go along with a 4.17 ERA.

Halladay is 4-4 lifetime against the Angels with a 5.48 ERA in 11 starts.

Toronto enters this series after splitting a four-game set with the Kansas City Royals, dropping Monday's finale 6-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Alex Rios and Curtis Thigpen each knocked in a run for the Blue Jays, who lost for only the fourth time in their last six tries.

Jesse Litsch (4-5) was tagged for five runs -- two earned -- on six hits over 6 2/3 innings.

This is the first time these teams have played this season, but Toronto won the season series 6-4 last year and is 16-9 in the matchup since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Angels have also struggled north of the border, where they have won in just one of their last seven visits.

Sportcasinogamble Baseball Betting News

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After coming through with another thrilling victory on Monday, the Seattle Mariners will attempt to continue their recent roll in tonight's middle test of a three-game set with the struggling Minnesota Twins from Safeco Fiel

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<< Bonds, Giants resume trek in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Bonds will go back from being cheered to most likely getting booed tonight when the San Francisco Giants continue their now nine- game road trip with the opener of a three-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Turner

Karstens goes for Yanks against Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Youngster Jeff Karstens tries again for his first win of 2007 tonight when the New York Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles in game two of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The right-hander, who'll turn 25 next month

It's official: Kyle Busch to JGR >>
Huntersville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the worst kept secrets was made official when Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Tuesday that it had signed 22- year-old Kyle Busch to a contract. The younger brother of 2004 Nextel Cup champio

Cardinals have chance to close gap on struggling Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers will play the first of three games against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals this evening at Miller Park. Milwaukee is just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Cu

Padres begin key series with playoff-hopeful Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francis will try to keep his unbeaten streak intact when he takes the mound this evening for the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series with the NL West-rival San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Francis

Downtrodden Dodgers continue home set with Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to stop a three-game slide when they resume a four-game series this evening versus the Houston Astros at Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles, which has lost nine of 11 and is 4-14 over its last

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After 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.

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