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07/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suburban Cincinnati native Aaron Cook returns home to face a team that's never beaten him today, when the Colorado Rockies head to Great American Ball Park to meet the Reds in the finale of a three-game series.
The hosts have won the initial two games, including Saturday, when Edinson Volquez made a triumphant return to the mound and was backed by four home runs in an 8-1 Reds win.
Volquez (1-0), who last appeared in a major league game on June 1, 2009, struck out nine over six innings, walked two and yielded just three hits.
Two of those came in the first inning when Dexter Fowler doubled and Carlos Gonzalez brought in the only Colorado run with a single.
The 27-year-old Volquez had been out after ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow. It was his first win since May 5, 2009 against the Marlins.
Drew Stubbs smacked two homers and drove in three runs, while Brandon Phillips cracked a three-run shot. Jonny Gomes had two RBI and added a solo home run as Cincinnati won its second straight in this three-game set.
Jorge De La Rosa (3-2) was rocked for a second straight outing coming off a finger injury that shelved him for more than two months.
In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up seven runs - six earned - on four hits and five walks as the Rockies fell for a third consecutive game.
Cook, who was born 31 years ago in nearby Fort Campbell, Ky., is 2-0 with a 5.12 earned run average in eight lifetime meetings with the Reds, including eight starts.
He was drafted by the Rockies out of high school in 1997 - second round - and debuted in the majors five years later with nine appearances at the end of the 2002 season.
He won a career-best 16 games in 2008 and returned to win 11 more a season later, but has struggled through 17 starts this season with just three wins and an ERA that's hovered around 5.00.
Cook was a 7-3 winner over San Francisco in a July 1 game, then was tagged for 10 hits and five runs in a no-decision against Louis on July 7 - a game Colorado won, 8-7.
The Rockies are 8-9 in his 17 starts, though the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is winless - 0-5, 6.70 ERA - in nine road starts.
Cincinnati counters with lefty Travis Wood, a former second-round draft pick in 2005. He seeks his first big-league win in his fourth start.
The 23-year-old was on the verge of a gem in his most recent outing, carrying a perfect game into the ninth inning against Philadelphia before the Reds eventually lost, 1-0, in extra innings as part of a four-game sweep.
Wood struck out eight Phillies and lowered his opponents' batting average to .127 in his three starts.
Previously, he'd allowed eight hits and five earned runs in 11 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets - games both won by the Reds.
This will be Wood's first appearance in Cincinnati.
<< Phillies try to even series with Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies needed some late heroics to stop
the Chicago Cubs yesterday afternoon and hope that the momentum will carry
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The Phil
<< Braves, Brewers conclude set at Turner Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves are shooting for a split of a four-game
series with the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday afternoon, when the two ballclubs
wrap up a lengthy set from Turner Field.
The Braves have dropped two in a row and t
<< Tadini rallies for Challenge Tour win
Hildisrieden, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alessandro Tadini fired a seven-
under 65 Sunday to come from behind and win the Credit Suisse Challenge on the
European Challenge Tour.
Tadini finished at 22-under-par 266 for his third Challeng
<< Cardinals have brooms ready for Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals aim for their fifth straight win
and a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers when the two storied
franchises close out their series today at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis' last four-gam
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Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hungary's Agnes Szavay captured her
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Padres go for another sweep of Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League West-leading San Diego Padres will
shoot for the second straight three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks
when the two division foes close out their set today at Petco Park.
San Diego has
Mets send Santana to salvage series with San Francisco >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets ace Johan Santana has allowed only one run
through his last three starts and hopes to continue that stingy trend today in
the finale of a four-game set against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
Sa
Angels vie to continue mastery of Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim set their sights on a
ninth straight victory over the Seattle Mariners as the two ballclubs wrap up
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On Saturday, Juan Rivera went 3-for-4 an
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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