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A's to open key road trip in ClevelandBaseball Betting Lines08/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are still alive in the playoff race and will kick off a lengthy 10-game road trip tonight with the first of three straight games against the Cleveland Indians from Progressive Field. The A's are 8 1/2 games behind Texas for the top spot in the American League West Division and lost the last two portions of a four-game weekend series versus Tampa Bay at the Coliseum. In Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the Rays, Dallas Braden absorbed the loss for giving up three runs in six decent innings of work. Gabe Gross had two hits and an RBI while Landon Powell finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for Oakland, which has lost two straight since a four-game winning streak and will also visit the Rangers and Yankees on the trek. "He went out there and gave us six strong innings but we just didn't back him [Sunday]," Gross said of Braden. "A lot of times you're going to win games when your starter throws like that." Gio Gonzalez hopes to get some run support when he takes the mound for the A's in tonight's series opener. Gonzalez is 1-2 over his last three decisions and did not figure into the outcome of a 5-4 win versus Toronto last Wednesday, when he delivered seven innings of one-run ball. Gonzalez, who is 10-8 with a 3.39 earned run average in 25 starts, hopes to stay perfect in his career against the Indians. The lefty is 3-0 with a sparkling 1.16 ERA in four career meetings -- all starts -- with Cleveland. The Indians have lost seven of their last nine contests and were just swept in three games at Detroit over the weekend. In an 8-1 setback in Sunday's series finale, Jeanmar Gomez was saddled with the loss for permitting eight runs -- seven earned -- and 11 hits in only three innings. Shin-Soo Choo had three hits -- including a home run -- for the Indians, who will begin a nine-game homestand versus the A's, Royals and White Sox on Tuesday. "We were overmatched by their pitching staff in these three games," said Tribe skipper Manny Acta after the loss. "Those three arms [the Tigers] threw at us, we couldn't do anything against them offensively and that was the difference." Taking the mound for Acta's club tonight will be Fausto Carmona, who has dropped three straight starts and four of his last five outings. In last Wednesday's 9-7 defeat at Kansas City, Carmona was battered for seven runs and nine hits in five innings. Carmona fell to 11-11 in 25 starts this season and saw his earned run average rise from 3.87 to 4.14. The right-hander is 3-4 in nine career games (eight starts) against the Athletics. Oakland beat Carmona on July 4 of this season. The A's are 4-2 against Cleveland this season and have won nine of the past 13 matchups between the two teams.
<< Tigers await Damon's decision; resume set with KC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon could be playing his final game with Detroit this evening when the Tigers continue their three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Damon was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red So
<< NL playoff hopefuls continue set in San Francisco
<< Yankees, Jays continue series up north
<< Red Sox hope Beckett can pitch past Mariners
<< Lewis leads Rangers into second test vs. Twins
Desperate Dodgers make a stop in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers hope to keep their slim playoff hopes alive tonight, when they kick off a six-game road trip with the first of three straight matchups against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Los Angeles is 7
White Sox seeking to bounce back against Orioles >>
Padres return home to battle Diamondbacks >>
Mets to face Marlins ace in divisional clash >>
Report: Bobcats sign Kwame Brown >>
NFL Football BettingBILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover. BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week. COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy. TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win. RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win. PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start. JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch. SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do. VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams. DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home. SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one. BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1. BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses. RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw. PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting. |
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