Rangers lefty Lee toes rubber in Boston

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee is hoping for a better showing in his second start for Texas, as the Rangers and Boston Red Sox continue a four-game series tonight at Fenway Park.

Lee, who was acquired on July 9th in a six-player deal with Seattle, made his debut for Texas last Saturday in a 6-1 defeat at home to Baltimore. In that game, the left-hander surrendered six runs and a season-high three homers, while going the distance. It marked his AL-best sixth complete game of the year, but the result snapped a personal four-game win streak.

The 2008 AL Cy Young award winner has made nine career starts against Boston, going 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA. This will be his first appearance of the season against the Red Sox.

Countering for Boston will be John Lackey, who is trying to avoid dropping three consecutive starts for the first time since August 4-14, 2006. The right-hander has yet to live up to expectations and was most recently tagged for seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-5 loss at Toronto on July 10th. He gave up eight hits, while walking a season-high six batters

The veteran hasn't enjoyed facing Texas much in his career either, boasting an 11-12 record with a 5.87 ERA over 32 starts.

Lackey will need to be on top of his game in order to slow down the hot- hitting Rangers, who have posted 15 runs and 24 hits in winning the first two games of this series.

Last night, Bengie Molina hit for the cycle and clubbed a tie-breaking grand slam in the fifth inning, boosting the Rangers to an 8-4 win over the Red Sox in the continuation of a four-game series.

Molina singled in the second inning, doubled in the fourth, and after homering in the fifth, legged out just his sixth career triple in the eighth. It was the fifth cycle in Texas Rangers history. Ian Kinsler had one April 15, 2009.

Molina, who was acquired from San Francisco earlier this month, also became the first major league catcher to hit for the cycle since Chad Moeller for Milwaukee vs. Cincinnati on April 27, 2004.

The normally slow-footed Molina left the game with tightness in his right quadriceps shortly after the triple and was replaced by pinch-runner Joaquin Arias.

Colby Lewis (9-5) fanned seven batters over five innings to win for the fifth time in his last six decisions. He yielded four hits and three runs.

Felix Doubront (1-2) permitted seven hits and four runs -- two earned -- over 4 2/3 frames.

"He's got a great aptitude for pitching," said Boston manager Terry Francona of his starting pitcher. "The feel for his breaking ball wasn't there early. He was pretty much just fastball early and then he got the cutter going."

Adrian Beltre homered and J.D. Drew knocked in two runs, but the Red Sox lost for the second straight night. Kevin Youkilis had three hits and scored once, as Boston was beaten for the seventh time in nine contests.

Boston did take two of three bouts from the Rangers in that April series and have won in 11 of the past 16 meetings between the teams held in Beantown.

Wwwmindspring Baseball Betting News

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<< Twins hope to make up more ground vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will try to make up some more ground on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, as the teams continue a four-game set tonight at Target Field. Last night, Joe Mauer had two hits, including a bi

<< Angels, Mariners continue set at Big A
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have owned the Seattle Mariners this season and they will try to continue that dominance tonight as the squads resume a four-game set at Angel Stadium. Following last night's 3-2 res

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson can match a Washington pitching gem with one of his own tonight, when the Florida Marlins ace takes on the Nationals in the second test of a three-game series between NL East Division foes at Sun Life Stadium

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros can continue a season's worth of success against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, when the teams get together for the middle game of a three-game series at PNC Park. Houston made it seven in a row aga

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Let's play two: Tigers, Indians set for doubleheader >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers get two cracks at the last-place Cleveland Indians today, as the AL Central squads hookup for a doubleheader at Progressive Field. On Friday, Andy Marte and Austin Kearns each hit a two-run home

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St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery in the near future after cutting her foot on broken glass in a restaurant. The injury will cause the No. 1 ranked player in the world to miss ev

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    		 7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  		 Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.