Mariners, Indians to go at it again in Emerald City

Baseball Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Seattle Mariners will attempt to build off an impressive pitching performance when the American League West cellar-dwellers take on the Cleveland Indians tonight in the continuation of a four-game series between last-place teams.

After dropping a 6-3 decision to the Tribe on Thursday, the Mariners bounced back with a hard-earned 1-0 victory last night as Luke French combined with a pair of relievers on a three-hit shutout.

French (4-4) carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished out the frame having yielded only a single hit along with three walks and striking out four batters. Shelley Duncan foiled the lefty's no-hit bit with a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh.

"It was one of those nights where I was hitting my spots more often than not, to be able to slow them down with the changeup, mix in a few sliders here and there," said French. "Turned out pretty good."

Closer David Aarsdma did run into some trouble in the ninth, letting up a pair of one-out singles before getting Shin-Soo Choo to pop up. The hard-throwing reliever then allowed both runners to advance on a wild pitch, but fanned Duncan for the final out to notch his 27th save.

The game's only run came during the first inning, when Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single and later scored on a base hit off the bat of Franklin Gutierrez.

Indians starter Fausto Carmona (11-14) didn't give up much afterward, surrendering just two more hits and striking out six batters in an eight- inning complete game.

Seattle, which had lost three of four prior to last night's verdict, will hand the ball to David Pauley in hopes of receiving a second straight quality start. The former Red Sox farmhand came through in an August 13 matchup against the Indians, permitting just two runs and scattering seven hits over six innings to register his first career victory in the majors.

Pauley followed up that result with a road win at Baltimore five days later, but has lost back-to-back starts since to fall to 2-6 on the season. The right-hander was reached for four runs in 5 2/3 innings in an August 25 setback at Boston, then served up three homers and four runs overall in a six- inning stint against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this past Monday.

The 27-year-old is still in search of his first win at Safeco Field, where he's gone 0-4 with a 3.34 ERA in seven appearances (five starts) this year.

Mitch Talbot gets the call for Cleveland tonight and will be trying to end a long and frustrating winless streak. The rookie hurler is 0-5 with a subpar 6.23 ERA in nine starts since his last triumph, a June 27 besting of Cincinnati.

Talbot was hit hard in Monday's assignment against the Chicago White Sox, which tagged him for five runs and 10 hits in a five-inning no-decision. The right-hander allowed six runs in six innings during his previous start, a home loss to Oakland on August 25.

The 26-year-old, who had won eight of his first 14 decisions to begin his debut campaign with the Indians, also struggled in an August 14 encounter with the Mariners at Progressive Field. In that game Talbot was hammered for six runs (four earned) on eight hits in just four innings as the losing pitcher in a 9-3 outcome.

Seattle has now prevailed three of five meetings between these teams this season, but the Indians had won six in a row from the Mariners at Safeco Field prior to last night's defeat.

Wwwcricket365 Baseball Betting News

<< Dodgers hoping to further cripple Giants' playoff hopes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain tries to make it two straight wins against the club that has given him more trouble than any other team in his young career when the San Francisco Giants continue their three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers

<< D-Backs host Astros, shoot for fifth straight win
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recent trade acquisition Joe Saunders tries to make it two wins in a row for the first time since arriving in Arizona tonight, when the Diamondbacks meet the Houston Astros in the middle matchup of a three-game weekend series

<< Tigers vie to break even in matchup with Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers can pull back to .500 in the midst of a lengthy second-half slump tonight, when they visit Kauffman Stadium for the second of three weekend games with the host Kansas City Royals. The Tigers won Friday's

<< Cellar-dwellers face off again in Bucs-Nats clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh lefty Paul Maholm can make it two straight wins for the Pirates and end his own four-decision skid tonight, when the Washington Nationals return to PNC Park for the middle test of a three-game weekend series. T

<< Halladay aims to pitch surging Phils past Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay goes after win No. 17 this evening, when the playoff-hopeful Philadelphia Phillies continue their three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. Halladay has lost his last two starts, t

Jimenez keeps three-shot lead in Switzerland >>
Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Angel Jimenez protected his three-shot lead at the European Masters Saturday with a three-under 68 in the third round. Jimenez appeared to have shot a 67 after rolling in a long birdie

Eagles acquire DE Barnes from Ravens >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles acquired defensive end Antwan Barnes from Baltimore in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick. Barnes has spent his entire three-year career with the Ravens, appearing in 38 games.

Woods rebounds nicely with a 65 >>
Norton, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods shot a five-under 65 in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday, matching his lowest round of the season. More importantly? Woods played well enough to ensure he makes the 36

Soderling reaches fourth round in Flushing >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling was an easy third-round winner Saturday at the U.S. Open. The fifth-seeded Soderling whipped Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Day 6 at the US

Serbia edges Croatia to reach World Championship quarters >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aleksandar Rasic's free throw with one second left gave Serbia a 73-72 victory over Croatia and berth in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championship. The Serbs led by seven during the fou

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

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.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard