Slumping Angels host struggling A's

Baseball Betting Lines

07/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling American League West teams start up a three-game series tonight in southern California, where the division-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim welcome the reeling Oakland Athletics.

Oakland comes in having dropped 11 of its last 13 contests, a stretch that began with a season-long nine-game losing streak from July 6-17. Anaheim hasn't been much better lately, as the Angels have lost five of their last seven and seen their lead over Seattle atop the division dwindle to two games.

The Angels did pick up a needed win on Sunday, however. Joe Saunders tossed seven strong innings and Garret Anderson ended his club's lengthy homerless drought to help Los Angeles post a 7-2 victory at Minnesota.

Anderson finished 2-for-4 with a solo homer, the first by an Anaheim player in 14 games. Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in two runs as the Angels averted a three-game sweep at the hands of the Twins.

Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five.

The Angels hope to receive a similar mound performance tonight out of former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon. The right-hander is enduring a five-start winless streak in which he has recorded three losses, two no decisions and a 7.92 earned run average.

Colon is coming off Wednesday's loss at Tampa Bay, where he was touched for three runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. That outing was a major improvement over his previous start, when the Dominican was rocked for seven runs and seven hits in just two innings July 6 at Yankee Stadium.

The 34-year-old does own a 6-3 record and 3.38 ERA in 13 career starts against Oakland, but has not faced the A's since September 29, 2005.

Oakland's recent misery continued on Sunday, as the club was shut down by Jeremy Guthrie and the Baltimore Orioles. The Athletics managed just two hits -- both singles -- during a 2-0 setback in the rubber match of a three-game series from McAfee Coliseum.

The loss spoiled an outstanding effort from Oakland starter Dallas Braden (1-5), who held Baltimore to one run and four hits over seven quality innings.

The A's scored just five runs during the three meetings with the Orioles and have averaged a mere 2.4 runs over their rough 13-game stretch.

Oakland pitcher Chad Gaudin has also had his troubles as of late. The converted reliever has surrendered 10 runs and 11 walks over a 10-inning span in back-to-back defeats to Minnesota and Texas.

Gaudin issued six walks in six innings during Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Rangers and was charged with five runs on the evening.

Despite those recent struggles, Gaudin has put together a nice season in the Oakland rotation. The 24-year-old is 8-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 20 starts.

Gaudin faced the Angels twice in April and posted a 1-0 record with a 2.13 ERA against Anaheim, yielding just three runs over 12 2/3 innings of work. He is 2-0 with a 3.38 in nine lifetime appearances (two starts) versus tonight's opponent.

Oakland owns a 4-2 advantage in this year's season series thus far, with the rivals having split a four-game set at Angel Stadium back in April.

Trifectas Baseball Betting News

<< Bombs away: Power-swinging Yanks charge into Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees bring their powerful bats into Kansas City for a four-game series with an improving Royals club that begins this evening at Kauffman Stadium. After enduring a disappointing 14-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Fr

<< Mariners hope to shake offensive woes in Texas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners hope a visit to hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will enable them to cure their recent offensive struggles as they open up a four-game series with fellow American League West member Texas thi

<< Santana, Twins open set with Blue Jays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Standout left-hander Johan Santana looks to begin another win streak tonight when the Minnesota Twins visit Rogers Centre for the first game of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. A 19-game winner last season,

<< Isles re-sign Simon
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders re-signed veteran forward Chris Simon to a one-year contract Monday. Simon played in 67 games for the Islanders in 2006-07 and had ten goals with 17 assists for 27 points. Last

<< Nets sign Frank to extension
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets signed head coach Lawrence Frank to a multi-year extension. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed. "We are pleased to announce this contract extension, which wil

First-place Dodgers begin road swing in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been struggling as of late, will try to stay atop the NL West standings when they open a three-game series against the Houston Astros this evening at Minute Maid Park. The Dodgers a

Slumping Padres head to Colorado for divisional showdown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres will try and stop a three-game slide when they play the first of three contests against the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies tonight at Coors Field. San Diego just dropped three of four to the Phila

Tigers, White Sox open five-game set in Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams will get a very good look at each other over the next couple of days, as the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox begin a rare five-game series tonight at U.S. Cellular Field. Thanks to a rain out back on Apr

Red Sox turn to Lester in opener against Indians >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Red Sox are sure to receive an emotional boost in the form of Jon Lester tonight, when Boston begins a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field. Lester is expected to be recalled from Triple

Mason back with the Bucks >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Less than two years after being traded to the New Orleans Hornets, Desmond Mason is returning to Milwaukee. The Bucks inked the former Oklahoma State star to a multi-year contract Monday as they attempt to a

MySportsbook.com is operated by Sportingbet, a UK gambling company which is publicly traded on the AIM on the London Stock Exchange.

Sportingbet easily forms the world's largest Internet gaming company, with a truly global outreach. This also provides added transparency and accountability to this online Sportsbook and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. MySportsbook offers betting lines on all major sporting events. Our staff of almost 400 people includes clerks ready 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for your needs.

MySportsbook's competent, experienced managerial staff and personnel are backed by a state-of-the art sports wagering software.

We offer a 15% sign-up bonus to new customers who use Neteller for deposit and 10% bonus for all other deposit methods. Casino clients can take advantage of a 5% cash back monthly. Clients are also eligible for a 5% re-up bonus on subsequent deposits and 10% cash back on NFL losses.* Our instant-play flash casino is no-download, just click and go to a wide range of games including online Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette and Pai-Gow Poker, as well as a variety of slots and video poker games for the complete online casino Las Vegas experience.

My Sports book accepts all credit cards, online checks, Neteller, Firepay and bank wires. MySportsbook guarantees prompt, hassle-free payouts, as well as unparalleled individual attention from its acclaimed customer service department.

To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.