First-place Tigers set sights on sweep of Twins

Baseball Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have taken over first place in the ultra-competitive AL Central and will close out a three-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park this afternoon.

Detroit maintained its half-game edge on second-place Chicago in the division standings with Saturday's verdict against the struggling Twins. Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Johnny Damon each hit home runs to support six solid innings from Jeremy Bonderman in the Tigers' 7-4 win in the middle meeting of this three-game set.

Cabrera extended his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games and Alex Vila added another home run for the Tigers, who have won five straight.

Bonderman (5-6) grabbed the win after allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while fanning a pair for Detroit, which has won 17 of its last 19 games at home. Jose Valverde retired the side in order in the ninth to record his 19th save of the season.

"We played well. The guys battled and came up with big hits and made some great plays behind me," Bonderman said about the game. "It's a great team win. We'll come in [Sunday] and try to take the last one."

Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn (7-7) was roughed up to the tune of seven runs on seven hits, including four home runs, in four-plus innings for the slumping Twins, who have dropped four in a row and six of seven and are now four games back of the Tigers.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau missed his third straight game Saturday with concussion-like symptoms and will not make the trip to Anaheim for the All-Star Game. A head and concussion specialist in Detroit examined Morneau on Saturday and recommended rest. He will be re-evaluated in Minnesota over the All-Star break.

One of the most pleasant surprises during the first half of this season has been the pitching of Twins veteran Carl Pavano, who is 9-6 with a 3.58 ERA. The righty has only walked 17 batters through 118 innings, and the pinpoint control has been key to his success.

Pavano wasn't effective in his most recent start, however, as he was roughed up for six earned runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings against Toronto and did not figure in the decision.

He lost his only previous start against Detroit this season despite surrendering just two earned runs in eight innings. Pavano is 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA in his career against the Tigers.

Detroit is slated to send Andrew Oliver to the hill today, and he is in search of his first win in the majors. Oliver, who has made three starts to date, is 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA and struggled mightily Monday against Baltimore, allowing five earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings of action in front of a disappointed home crowd.

Oliver's only previous start against Minnesota came on June 30 and resulted in defeat. Still, he pitched well in that game, allowing only two earned runs in six innings.

Minnesota has won six of its 11 matchups with the Tigers this season.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.