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07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny nearly reprised his role as the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game for a second consecutive season. The Los Angeles Dodgers are now hoping that their burly ace doesn't repeat his subpar second-half performance of 2006.
Although Penny was nudged out by San Diego's Jake Peavy for the NL's starting nod of this year's Midsummer Classic, he certainly made a strong case for the honor. He entered the break with a 10-1 record and 2.39 earned run average in 18 starts, while surrendering a mere three home runs over 116 2/3 innings of work.
Penny posted similar numbers (10-2, 2.91) en route to earning last year's starting assignment in Pittsburgh. That appearance turned out to be the high point of the 28-year-old's season, as he slumped to a 6-7 record with an uncharacteristic 5.25 ERA following the break.
The hard-throwing right-hander appears determined not to duplicate that disappointing performance this time around, and if Penny's initial start of the 2007 second half is any indication, he won't be. He threw seven dominating innings against a potent Philadelphia Phillies lineup on Monday, yielding only a run on four hits while striking out eight batters in the Dodgers' 10-3 victory.
Penny showed no ill effects from a recent blister problem that cut short his final first-half start. He was able to throw 104 pitches on the evening, 70 of which found the strike zone.
"Great plays were made that kept me out of trouble, he said afterward. "I threw strikes. I felt better as the game went on."
The Dodgers are going to need Penny to maintain his level of excellence with the club's once-formidable rotation currently in a state of flux. Derek Lowe has been struggling badly in recent weeks, Jason Schmidt is out for the season and Randy Wolf is temporarily on the shelf with a sore shoulder.
Factor in an expected lack of available starting pitching at the trade deadline, and it looks like Los Angeles will be relying heavily on Penny to keep pace with the Padres and Diamondbacks in the competitive NL West.
DYNAMIC DUO
Lately the Dodgers have received tremendous production out of right field, where youngsters Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have been splitting time at the position.
Ethier, the left-handed member of the platoon, is batting .522 (12-for-23) with two home runs and 10 RBI over the last eight games. Kemp is presently riding a six-game hitting streak in which the 22-year-old has gone 11-for-21 (.524) with a pair of homers, two triples and seven RBI.
The biggest challenge for manager Grady Little has finding enough time for the budding sluggers in a crowded outfield that also includes clutch veteran Luis Gonzalez and speedster Juan Pierre.
"We've got guys battling for playing time, but you have to know what's expected of you and what your role is," Ethier recently told the team's official site. We have four outfielders swinging the bat well, and we know what's expected. There's no wondering why one guy plays and one guy's on the bench. We each have each other's backs."
IN WITH THE OLD
Los Angeles added an arm to its bullpen prior to Wednesday's series finale with the Phillies, as grizzled vet Roberto Hernandez was recalled from Triple- A Las Vegas to serve as the 12th pitcher.
The 42-year-old, who has 326 career saves to his credit, began the season with Cleveland but was released by the Indians last month after compiling a lackluster 6.23 ERA in 28 appearances. The Dodgers signed Hernandez to a minor-league deal shortly afterward.
While it's possible the right-hander could make a solid contribution to the relief corps, Hernandez's addition more than likely signals the Dodgers' willingness to trade for bullpen help prior to the July 31 deadline. Kansas City's Octavio Dotel has been mentioned as a possible target to serve as a bridge to All-Star closer Takashi Saito.
Los Angeles could use a fresh arm in the 'pen, though, as its starting pitchers have averaged just five innings over the first seven games following the All-Star break. Rubber-armed relievers Jonathan Broxton and Joe Beimel have appeared in five of those contests.
INJURY REPORT
Wolf will have a 20-pitch bullpen session on Friday, the lefty's first time throwing off a mound since he was placed on the DL on July 4, and is expected to make a rehab start for the Dodgers' Class A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers, sometime next week. Barring any setbacks, he should be ready to rejoin the rotation in early August.
Right-hander Chad Billingsley labored through a career-high 113 pitches in five innings of Wednesday's 5-4 win over Philadelphia and aggravated a blister on his finger that could put his next scheduled start in jeopardy. The talented young hurler is tentatively slated to take the mound when the Dodgers open a three-game series in Houston on Monday.
WHO'S HOT
The entire Dodger offense. Los Angeles has racked up 58 runs over its last eight games and compiled 13 hits or more in all but two of those contests. The surge has vaulted the club to the top of the National League in batting average (.278) and third in on-base percentage (.345).
Individually, catcher Russell Martin has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with a .500 on- base percentage in seven games following his first career All-Star appearance. Shortstop Rafael Furcal is batting .364 (12-for-13) with six runs scored since the break.
WHO'S NOT
Lowe was rocked for nine runs and 10 hits before being removed after three innings of Thursday's 13-9 loss to the New York Mets. He hasn't won in five starts since defeating Tampa Bay on June 22, having recorded three defeats and two no decisions over that span.
ON DECK
A four-game series with the NL East-leading Mets resumes Friday at Dodger Stadium, with Brett Tomko (2-7, 5.88) getting the call for Los Angeles opposite Oliver Perez (8-6, 3.13). Penny (11-1, 2.33) will face off against Jorge Sosa (7-4, 3.84) on Saturday, with Mark Hendrickson (4-5, 4.54) slated to start Sunday's finale for the Dodgers. Veteran Orlando Hernandez (6-4, 2.96) will pitch for New York.
<< British Open Second Round News & Notes
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been quite a golfing week for
Spain.
On Monday, Seve Ballesteros, a three-time champion, and Spain's greatest
golfer in history, announced his retirement from competitive golf. He had be
<< Moya upended in quarters of Dutch Open
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Carlos Moya was
upset in three sets by Werner Eschauer in quarterfinals action at the Dutch
Open on Friday.
Eschauer, an Austrian, survived a first-set tiebreaker loss, and
<< Yashin headed to Russian Super League
Yaroslavl, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Islander Alexei Yashin
agreed to a contract to play next season with Locomotiv Yaroslavl of the
Russian Super League on Friday.
Yashin, who had the last four seasons of his 10-
<< Thumbs down: Twins' Cuddyer placed on DL
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins right fielder Michael
Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday due to a sprained right
thumb.
Cuddyer suffered the injury when sliding into second base during Tuesd
Red Bulls to be without Angel versus United >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York enters the second
game of a five-game homestand Sunday when it hosts D.C. United in a Major
League Soccer fixture.
It will be the second meeting between the Eastern Conferenc
Conference USA - Title game rematch? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two years ago, Conference USA won just
11% (two of 19) of its games vs. BCS schools, but finished 12-9 ATS. Last
season was an improved campaign with a 19% winning percentage against BCS
teams with five win
TFC aiming to end road trip on winning note at Crew >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC concludes its six-game road trip on
Sunday with a visit to Crew Stadium to take on the Columbus Crew.
The Canadian side is 1-1-3 on its current trip, including a 0-0 draw last time
out against the
Colorado hopes for Rapid improvement in K.C. >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards won for the first
time in seven games last week, and will try to continue their winning ways on
Sunday when the club hosts the struggling Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead
Stadium
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.
MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.
Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.
Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.
After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.
Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.
Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.
If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.
Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.
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