08/16/2008 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Suzuki hit a game-winning, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the ninth and Jack Cust added two homers himself, as the Oakland Athletics edged the Chicago White Sox in dramatic fashion, 6-4, in the opener of a three-game set.
Pinch-hitter Emil Brown opened the home ninth with a double to the gap in left-center off Horacio Ramirez (1-2). Daric Barton then laid down a sac bunt to move pinch-runner Cliff Pennington to third before D.J. Carrasco was called on in relief. Suzuki then launched a 3-2 slider over the left field fence for the game-winner.
"I knew at the worst it was going to be a sacrifice fly," Suzuki said. "Our team battled to the end. They scored some runs and we came back. They scored again and we came back again."
Cust finished with three RBI and three hits while Mark Ellis had a solo homer for the A's, who have two wins in their last six contests and had dropped 23- of-27 coming in. Frank Thomas went 2-for-4 and scored in the win.
Oakland starter Dallas Braden lasted seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits in the no-decision. Huston Street (3-5) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth.
AJ Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin both hit solo homers for the Pale Hose, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end as the club fell into a tie with the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central lead. The Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 on Friday. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko both drove in a run in defeat. Gavin Floyd lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs -- one earned -- on six hits while fanning four and walking two in the no-decision.
The ChiSox got on the board in the first inning with three runs. Pierzynski clubbed a solo homer before Quentin singled and Jermaine Dye doubled. Thome kept it going with an RBI single and Konerko then offered a sac fly.
Thomas led off the sixth with a single, and two batters later, Cust ripped his 21st homer of the year to left, making it 3-2.
Quentin led off the top of the eighth with a homer off Jerry Blevins, but Oakland got two runs back in the home half to tie it up.
Ellis welcomed Octavio Dotel to the game with a leadoff homer. Thomas and Carlos Gonzalez were both retired, but Cust belted another home run to make it 4-4.
"I went with my best pitch, the fastball, and he hit it," Dotel said of Cust's shot. "He beat my best. That's going to happen."
Game Notes
It was the fourth career multi-homer game for Cust...Suzuki has one other walk-off homer on August 16, 2007, which was also against the White Sox...Floyd is unbeaten over his last five starts (2-0)...Oakland took a 4-3 lead in the 2008 season series...Prior to the game Chicago recalled pitcher Clayton Richard from Triple-A Charlotte...Chicago is 6-28 at Oakland since the start of the 2001 season.
<< Rivera's wild pitch hands KC victory, continues Yanks' slide
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Esteban German had two doubles and scored twice,
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4-3 victory over the New York Yankees in the opener of a three-game set.
The Royal
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Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds signed their
first-round draft pick from 2008, first baseman Yonder Alonso, on Friday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cincinnati had until midnight (et) Friday to
<< Giants sign top pick C Posey
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants have signed catcher
Buster Posey, the fifth overall selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Posey was one of the best
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Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers signed first baseman
Justin Smoak, the 11th overall pick in the 2008 draft, just prior to the
midnight (et) deadline on Friday. No financial terms were disclosed, per club
policy.
Pirates ink second overall pick Alvarez >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms
with third baseman Pedro Alvarez, the second overall selection in the 2008
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Alvarez batted .317
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against their old club in a 2-2 tie at Allianz Arena on Friday, spoiling Jurgen
Klin
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London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov is
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Stoke-in-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City made a major signing on
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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