Braves down Phils to take over first place in NL East

Baseball Betting Lines

05/31/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer and Troy Glaus added a late three-run shot, backing a solid start from Tommy Hanson and helping the Braves to their sixth consecutive win, a 9-3 decision over the Phillies.

Hanson (5-3) gave up a run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings to take the win. He also walked three and struck out two in the victory, which opened a three-game series and vaulted Atlanta over the Phillies into first place in the NL East by half a game.

The Braves had been 6 1/2 games behind on May 17, but have gone 11-2 since then. Atlanta made up the ground thanks also to the Phillies' struggles, which have mostly been offensive. The Phillies have lost seven of their last nine and been shut out five times over that stretch.

Freeporm Baseball Betting News

<< Dormant Marlins offense awakens in rout of Brewers
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cody Ross hit a three-run homer as part of a seven-run sixth inning, as the Florida Marlins routed the Milwaukee Brewers 13-5 in the opener of a four-game series at Sun Life Stadium. Ross added a run-sco

<< NCAA champ Hill turns pro
Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Hill, the reigning NCAA champion, announced Monday that he is skipping his final year at North Carolina State to turn professional. Hill last played for the Wolfpack in the NCAA East Regional an

<< Stampeders WR Ralph retires
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Stampeders wideout Brett Ralph announced his retirement on Monday. The 28-year-old Alberta native caught 29 balls for 403 yards and one touchdown a year ago for Calgary. He finishes his five-ye

<< Another Magic overhaul? GM says it's unlikely
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Magic general manager Otis Smith wants to be clear: He's not looking to overhaul the roster again.Unless he does.Smith said Monday he doesn't expect any major moves this offseason, even after failing to return to the NBA finals.

<< This Week in Golf - June 3rd through June 6th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio - The PGA Tour shifts from Hogan's Alley, Colonial, to Jack's Place, Muirfield Village, this week. Jack Nicklaus host

Kwak to miss World Cup for South Korea >>
Innsbruck, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Korea defender Kwak Tae-Hwi has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a knee injury in his team's 1-0 defeat to Belarus on Sunday. Kwak had only returned to the team in November a

Pirates continue to handle Cubs >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Crosby knocked in the go-ahead run with a single in the eighth inning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park. Garrett Jones

Angels beat Royals to open road trip >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana pitched a solid seven innings while Mike Napoli and Howie Kendrick drove in two runs each, as the Angels opened up a season-long 14-game road trip with a 7-1 win over Kansas City.

Ladd will sit again for Game 2 >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Ladd will not suit up for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals with an upper-body injury. Ladd had missed the Blackhawks' 6-5 victory in Game 1 on Saturday with the ailment

Interactif added to Belmont Stakes >>
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Todd Pletcher announced Monday that Interactif will start in this year's 142nd edition of the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday. The three-year-old is owned by brothers Alain and Gerard Werthei

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.