A's try to get on track in finale with Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suffering with the longest losing streak in the American League at the moment, the Oakland Athletics try to close out their three-game set in southern California on a positive note as they take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this afternoon.

On Saturday Oakland fell a game under .500 on the season and to a dismal 5-12 on the road as a result of its 12-3 setback to the Angels. Consequently, LA is now just 1 1/2 games behind the A's for second place in the AL West, with both teams chasing the Texas Rangers at the moment.

Kendry Morales blasted a pair of home runs for the hosts, leading to his five RBI, while Bobby Abreu logged yet another double as he posted three hits and a pair of runs scored. Torii Hunter scored twice and also knocked in one, marking the 900th RBI of his career.

On the mound it was Ervin Santana who handled the action for the Angels, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out six over six innings as he picked up his second win of the campaign.

"I was more confident and comfortable when you have a lot of run support. Everything was good when you put everything together," Santana said.

Justin Duchscherer, who had just come off the 15-day disabled list prior to the contest, had been scheduled to make the start for the visiting A's, but he was a late scratch due to left hip inflammation.

"In my warm-up run I felt a little something in my hip. When I was in the bullpen I couldn't land properly," Duchscherer said. "I will see the doctor again to see if I need surgery."

Getting the emergency start instead was Tyson Ross, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, permitting three earned runs on three hits in his first-ever start. Later in the contest reliever Chad Gaudin was assaulted for five earned runs on eight hits in a mere 2 2/3 innings for the struggling visitors.

Catcher Landon Powell posted three hits in four at-bats for the A's as he and Eric Patterson each tallied an RBI in the contest.

Having been called up from Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League the first of the month, Trevor Cahill is set to make his fourth appearance on the mound for the A's this afternoon. The right-hander, with a career record of 11-14 at the tender age of 22, last threw on Tuesday when he faced off against Texas for the second time in a week. Against the Rangers the second time around Cahill made it through 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks in a 7-6 victory, although he failed to factor into the decision.

In 2009 Cahill made three appearances against the Angels, and while he was able to keep his ERA down to 2.70 over 16 2/3 innings, his control was another story as he issued 11 bases-on-balls.

As for the Angels, they have Joel Pineiro penciled in for his next trip to the mound today. Pineiro, currently 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA at home this season, last pitched on Monday when he led the squad to a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay but failed to factor into the decision.

The 31-year old threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings versus the Rays, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out seven to match a season high. Nevertheless, Pineiro is still trying to snap a personal three-game slide and has not notched a win since April 19 against Detroit.

Of all the opponents in the majors, Pineiro has more wins against the A's (eight) than any other foe in his career, but he also has more setbacks against Oakland as well (eight).

The Angels are now a game up on Oakland at 3-2 on the season, this after posting a 12-7 advantage last year when they won eight of nine on the road versus the A's.

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With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

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Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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