AL Central-leading White Sox continue trip in Seattle

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox ended the season's first half as the hottest team in baseball, but things haven't gotten so smoothly since the club returned from the All-Star break.

The American League Central leaders will try to rebound from a shocking late- inning loss on Sunday when they continue their current road trip with tonight's matchup with the Seattle Mariners from Safeco Field.

Chicago won its final eight games prior to the break to vault into first place in the competitive AL Central, then extended its impressive win streak with an 8-7 victory over Minnesota on Thursday. The White Sox then proceeded to lose their next three clashes with the division-rival Twins and are in the midst of their longest skid since a four-game slide from April 15-18.

The White Sox appeared poised to end their winless drought on Sunday, taking a three-run lead into the ninth inning of the finale of the Minnesota series. However, the Twins scored four times off closer Bobby Jenks in their final at- bat to rally for a 7-6 triumph.

Jenks (1-2) entered the bottom of the ninth charged with protecting a 6-3 advantage, but promptly walked the first two batters before surrendering back- to-back RBI singles to Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer. Sergio Santos then came on in relief and walked Jason Repko to load the bases, and Delmon Young followed with a bloop single to tie the score. Center fielder Alex Rios' relay throw missed the cutoff man on the play, allowing Cuddyer to score the winning run from third.

"Just didn't have it," Jenks said afterward. "My cutter was coming back, my sinker wasn't sinking, the slider was big. Just didn't have my stuff today."

Sunday's win moved the Twins within 1 1/2 games of the White Sox in the AL Central standings. Chicago also holds a 1 1/2-game edge on Detroit, which was swept in a four-game set with last-place Cleveland over the weekend.

On a positive note, Chicago's Gordon Beckham went 4-for-4 with two RBI in yesterday's loss to extend his hitting streak to seven games. The sophomore second baseman has gone 12-for-18 at the plate over his last five outings.

The White Sox will turn to youngster Daniel Hudson tonight in hopes of reversing their recent fortunes. The rookie right-hander will be making his second start since being called up from the minors to take the rotation spot of the injured Jake Peavy.

Hudson struggled in his season debut, allowing five runs on six hits and walking three batters before leaving after four innings of a July 11 loss at Kansas City. The 23-year-old had been pitching very well for Triple-A Charlotte prior to the promotion, compiling an 11-4 record with a 3.47 earned run average and 108 strikeouts in 17 starts for the Knights.

A fifth-round selection of Chicago in the 2008 draft, Hudson made six appearances (two starts) for the White Sox last September and went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

He'll be taking on a Seattle club that ranks last in the AL in both runs scored (309) and batting average (.239) and is a woeful 3-12 thus far in July. The Mariners were able to halt a string of four consecutive losses, however, with an extra-inning verdict over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday.

Jose Lopez knocked in the deciding run with a two-out single in the top of the 10th in yesterday's 2-1 win, scoring Franklin Gutierrez from second base. Gutierrez had reached base on a fielder's choice and got into scoring position with a steal of second.

Lopez ended 2-for-5 for the Mariners, who prevailed despite managing only five hits on the afternoon. Starting pitcher Jason Vargas performed well in a no- decision, holding the Angels to a run on four hits and striking out a career- high nine batters in 7 2/3 innings of work.

"I was able to throw quality pitches and I had good control of my changeup," said Vargas. "I knew I had to hold them down to win the game." The Mariners would love to receive a similar showing from David Pauley in tonight's opener of this three-game series. The longtime minor-leaguer is getting a look in the Seattle rotation following the team's recent trade of All-Star Cliff Lee to Texas.

Pauley took Lee's scheduled turn in a July 9 clash against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field and pitched admirably, yielding three runs -- one earned -- and just two hits over five innings. He still wound up with the loss, however, in Seattle's 6-1 setback.

The start was Pauley's first in the majors since September 26, 2008, while then a member of the Boston Red Sox, and sixth of his career. The right-hander is still in search of his initial win at the big-league level, as he's 0-4 with a 7.47 ERA in 13 appearances with the Mariners and Red Sox.

This will be the first-ever encounter with Chicago for Pauley, who threw four scoreless innings over a combined three relief appearances after being recalled from the minors in late June.

The White Sox swept a three-game set from the Mariners in Chicago from April 23-25, but lost four of six bouts between these teams held at Safeco Field last season.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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