A's seeking to get back on track against Angels
Baseball Betting Lines
09/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are coming off a beating in the Bronx and are back in the Bay Area to kick off a nine-game homestand starting with Friday's opener of a three-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The A's lost all four games at Yankee Stadium and were blanked 5-0 in Thursday's series finale. New York ace CC Sabathia improved to 19-5 with eight shutout innings, while Oakland starter Dallas Braden tossed five innings of one-run ball to suffer the loss.
"He was throwing the ball well, but he started cramping up in his legs and couldn't get rid of it," A's manager Bob Geren said of Braden. It was to a point where he couldn't go on."
Braden, Jerry Blevins and Michael Wuertz all gave up home runs for the Athletics, who went 4-6 on the road trip and fell 10 games behind Texas for the NL West lead. The A's were outscored, 29-11, in the series.
Oakland will also host Seattle and Boston on the residency and is an impressive 38-27 at the Coliseum this season.
Taking the mound in tonight's series opener for the A's will be Gio Gonzalez, who's won two straight and five of his last seven decisions. Gonzalez threw seven shutout innings in a win at Cleveland on August 24 before holding the rival Rangers to two runs in six innings in last Sunday's 8-2 win in Arlington. He was able to push his mark to 12-8 with a 3.23 ERA in 27 starts this season.
Gonzalez defeated the Angels at the Big A in his 2010 debut on April 9, as he lasted six innings and allowed two runs with six K's. The lefty is 2-1 in four career starts in this series.
The Angels won two of three meetings with Seattle and are coming off Wednesday's 4-2 victory in the series finale. Hideki Matsui clubbed a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Alberto Callaspo added a solo shot in the eighth for Anaheim, which is 10 1/2 games off the lead in the AL West and won for just the third time in 10 tries.
Halos starter Trevor Bell allowed two runs and nine hits with six strikeouts over six innings for the win, while Fernando Rodney notched his eighth save with a pair of K's in the ninth.
"They got some hits off Trevor, but that was just a function of him attacking the strike zone with his fastball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I thought he had good life on his pitches, got the ball into good zones most of the time. They definitely got some opportunities and he made some pitches to get out of some opportunities and showed us a lot out there."
Scioscia hopes Scott Kazmir can snap out of his funk when he toes the rubber for the Angels tonight. Kazmir is 1-7 with an 8.29 ERA in his last nine starts and was beaten by Baltimore his last time out on Saturday. He allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-0 score, and hasn't pitched through the sixth inning in three straight and five of six starts.
The left-hander sports an 8-12 mark in 22 starts this season and is aiming for a measure of revenge against Oakland, which pounded Kazmir for 13 runs and 11 hits in five innings of a 15-1 blowout back on July 10. Kazmir, however, is 9-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 16 career starts against the A's.
Anaheim has won seven of 13 matchups with Oakland this season.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Colorado Rockies are going to return to the postseason, they need to turn it around soon. This weekend would be a good start, as they begin a three-game series against the National League West- leading San Diego Padres
<< Playoff-hopeful Phils return home to battle Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley
recorded just four runs batted in during August. At the pace Utley's at so far
in September, his RBI total for the month will be astronomical.
Utley and the Nationa
<< Rays hope Garza can stay hot against O's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays need all the wins they can get if the
team is going to capture home-field advantage throughout the upcoming American
League playoffs. With Matt Garza on the mound against the Baltimore Orioles,
the po
<< Greinke goes for Royals in opener with Tigers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Zack
Greinke can continue a recent hot streak tonight when the Kansas City Royals
host the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game weekend series at
Kauffman Stadium.
<< Nats, Pirates open set in the Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless right-hander Livan Hernandez can reach double-
digit wins for the 11th time in his big-league career tonight when the soon-
to-be-shorthanded Washington Nationals visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the
first of three
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shin-Soo Choo and the Cleveland Indians look to remain in the win column when they resume a four-game series against the homestanding Seattle Mariners tonight from Safeco Field. Choo stroked a three-run double during a fou
Ramirez, White Sox begin series in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez returns to one of his old stomping grounds in
a new uniform when the former Boston star leads the Chicago White Sox into
Fenway Park for a key three-game series with the Red Sox that begins tonight.
Ramir
Red-hot Yankees eye seventh straight win vs. Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees hoped to be playing their best
baseball in September, and the early returns of this month seem to indicate
they may have reached that goal.
The defending world champions set their sights
Cubs, Mets kick off set at Wrigley Field >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs will try to continue their strong play
under interim manager Mike Quade this afternoon when they open a three-game
series against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs are 6-3 since Lou Pin
NL East-leading Braves send Kawakami to hill in Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenshin Kawakami returns to the Atlanta Braves this
evening, as they try to hold onto their dwindling advantage in the National
League East in the opener of a three-game set against the Florida Marlins at
Sun Lif
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.