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09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays can deal the final blow to the Boston Red Sox' playoff hopes this week, as the American League East rivals open a three-game set at Fenway Park.
The Rays come into tonight's opener trailing the New York Yankees by 2 1/2 games in the American League East. The Red Sox, though, are 10 games back in the divisional race.
Boston did not help its cause any this weekend, as it was swept in a three- game set by the Chicago White Sox, losing both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday, then blowing a ninth-inning lead on Sunday before falling 7-5.
Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer and David Ortiz added a two-run double for the Red Sox, who stumbled to their sixth loss in eight contests.
Jonathan Papelbon (5-6) took the loss and was saddled with his seventh blown save of the year, charged with four runs and two hits with a pair of walks over 1 1/3 innings.
"We worked hard and went to the ninth with a two-run lead," said Boston manager Terry Francona. "We felt pretty good about ourselves. But then we walk away an hour later with a loss and it doesn't feel good."
Heading to the hill for the Red Sox tonight will be left-hander Jon Lester, who has won four of his last five starts. Lester beat the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, but allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. He is 15-8 on the year with a 3.27 ERA.
Lester beat the Rays two starts ago with a terrific effort and is 8-3 lifetime against them with a 3.86 ERA in 15 starts.
Tampa, meanwhile, failed to gain any ground on the Yankees on Sunday, as it dropped an 8-7 decision to the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a three-game set.
Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli all hit two-run homers in defeat for the Rays, while Dan Wheeler (2-2) was charged with the loss after giving up two runs on two walks after getting just one out for Tampa Bay.
Getting the call for the Rays tonight will be righty Jeff Niemann, who has had two awful outings after a stint on the disabled list. After allowing 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings on August 25, Niemann was again charged with the loss last Tuesday against Toronto, which battered him for seven runs and seven hits in five innings.
Niemann, who is 10-5 on the year with a 3.97 ERA, is 2-1 in three starts against the Red Sox with a 3.94 ERA.
<< O's, Yanks open set in the Bronx
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have to be wondering which A.J.
Burnett will show up this afternoon when they open a three-game series with
the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
After an awful August that saw him go 0-4 with a 7.8
<< Hunter steps in for ailing Lee in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Hunter steps in for the ailing Cliff Lee this
afternoon when the Texas Rangers open a four-game series with the Toronto Blue
Jays at Rogers Centre.
The original plan was to have Lee get an extra day of rest because o
<< Angels send Haren to the hill for matchup with Indians
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-season acquisition Dan Haren makes the ninth start in a
so-far unsuccessful stint with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight when
they host the Cleveland Indians to begin a three-game series at Angel Stadium.
A 14-g
<< Twins aim to extend win streak versus Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Minnesota Twins will attempt to extend their current
winning streak to four games when the American League Central front-runners
take on a team they've had plenty of success against this season, the Kansas
City Royals, t
Villanova loses starting defensive end >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending FCS national champion Villanova
has lost sophomore Marlon Johnson, its only returning starter on the defensive
line, to a season-ending ACL injury.
Johnson, a defensive end, suffered the injury d
Rockies hope to extend charge as they battle Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Don't look now, but the Colorado Rockies may about to be
putting together one of those strong September runs that has propelled them
into the postseason in years past.
After climbing back into the National League West rac
Giants target first place as they continue road trip in Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With first place in the National League's West Division now
within their grasp, the San Francisco Giants continue a critical road trip
today with the first of three straight meetings with the Arizona Diamondbacks
from Chase F
Latos tries to end Padres 10-game slide in meeting with Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Mat Latos' quick emergence into a frontline pitcher is a
big reason why the San Diego Padres have stood atop the National League West
for the majority of the 2010 campaign. With his team mired in by far their
worst stretch o
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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