08/15/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals will try to halt their seven-game losing streak this evening, when they begin a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park.
Washington's offense has flatlined over its skid, as the team has been shutout in three of the seven losses and totaled just 11 runs. The Nationals were outscored 25-6 in losing all three games of their recent series with the New York Mets.
In Thursday's finale, Pete Orr hit a pinch-hit two-run triple -- his first three-base hit of the season -- for Washington in a 9-3 loss. Emilio Bonifacio also drove in a run in the setback.
Collin Balester (2-5) took the loss for the Nats, yielding five runs on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts over six frames.
Tim Redding is given the task of halting Washington's skid tonight, but the right-hander is just 1-4 with a 7.96 earned run average in his last five starts. However, his lone win in that span came on August 4 in Colorado.
Redding held the Rockies to four runs on six hits with six strikeouts over five innings in that matchup. He then lost to Milwaukee on Saturday after allowing five runs on seven hits over five frames.
The 30-year-old is 8-7 with a 4.61 ERA this year and 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA in five games (4 starts) lifetime versus Colorado.
Washington faces a Rockies club tonight that it took three of four from between August 4-7 and is also just 20-40 on the road this year. Also in the Nationals' favor is the fact they won't be facing Colorado's top pitcher, Aaron Cook, this weekend.
Cook is having his start skipped tonight due to fatigue and a stiff lower back. Jorge De La Rosa was moved to the bullpen when the Rockies recently acquired Livan Hernandez, but will be called upon to start this game.
De La Rosa's last appearance was Tuesday versus Arizona, and he threw one inning of relief while allowing two walks. His last start came on August 5 against Washington, Colorado's lone win in that series. The left-handed De La Rosa got a no-decision after giving up two runs on six hits over seven good innings.
The 27-year-old is 5-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 20 games (15 starts) this year and 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two career starts versus the Nats.
Colorado lost seven of 10 on its recent homestand and fell to Arizona, 6-2, on Thursday. Rockies starter Glendon Rusch (5-4) surrendered five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings, with four strikeouts and two walks.
Matt Holliday homered and Chris Iannetta, filling in for the injured Yorvit Torrealba, went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run for the Rockies, who have dropped four of five. Torrealba was scratched from the lineup due to a small meniscus tear in his left knee.
Colorado's Willy Taveras stole his MLB-leading 53rd base of the season, tying him with Eric Young for the all-time franchise single-season record, which Young set in 1996.
<< Pettitte tries to lead Yanks over KC in the Bronx
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees hope to put a disastrous road trip
behind them this evening when they play the first of three games against the
Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees finished their 10-game trek with
<< U.S. men announce roster for World Cup qualifier
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States mens national team coach Bob
Bradley named a 17-player roster Thursday that will travel to face Guatemala
in the team's first game of the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA
World
<< White Sox surge ahead despite injuries
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The recipe for a postseason push generally doesn't include
an unsettled starting rotation as part of the ingredients.
The Chicago White Sox (68-52), who hold a one-game lead over the Minnesota
Twins in the American League
<< First-place Mets head to Pittsburgh for weekend set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now alone in first place in the National League East, the
New York Mets begin a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at
PNC Park.
The Mets are aiming to take advantage of a weak portion of their schedule
Twins hoping to capitalize on homestand >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With only six weeks remaining in the regular season, each
turn of the schedule has more and more significance.
For the Minnesota Twins (67-53), their current nine-game homestand presents a
huge opportunity to gain some gro
Newman joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009 >>
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart has named Ryan Newman as the
second driver of Stewart-Haas Racing. Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 champion,
will drive the No.4 Chevrolet for the team, starting next year.
The announcement w
Inverness signs striker Rooney from Stoke City >>
Iverness, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inverness signed striker Adam Rooney from
Stoke City on a three-year deal Friday.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international was expected to join the SPL
side on loan, but the two clubs agreed to
Promoted Hamilton hopes to build on great start >>
Hamilton, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamilton Academical coach Billy Reid was
thrilled after his club won its season opener Monday.
Hamilton, which was promoted to the Scottish Premier League for the first time
in nearly 20 years this sea
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting