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07/30/2010 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth and Miguel Montero tacked on a three-run shot later in the frame to help the Diamondbacks snap a seven-game slide with a 9-6 win over the Mets.
Montero went 3-for-5 with four RBI to highlight the offensive outburst for Arizona, which had lost four games at home to San Francisco and three straight at Philadelphia coming in.
Ian Kennedy (6-8) labored through six innings but still wound up with the win after giving up five runs on three hits and four walks.
David Wright had his first multi-home run game at Citi Field, driving in five runs in New York's fourth loss in six games.
Raul Valdes (2-3) gave up both homers in the sixth and did not record an out to take the loss behind Mike Pelfrey, who was touched for five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits in 5 2/3 frames.
Pelfrey was pulled with two outs and Kennedy on first base in the sixth frame, with the pitcher having reached on Jose Reyes' error on a routine ground ball. Valdes came in and quickly gave up New York's 5-4 lead, as Johnson smashed a changeup over the wall in center to push Arizona in front.
A pair of singles ensued before Montero sent a Valdes offering off the second- deck facing in right, signifying the end of the reliever's forgettable outing.
Blaine Boyer gave up a run in the seventh when Angel Pagan singled to left to plate Reyes, but the Mets stranded two runners in the frame.
Chad Qualls threw a 1-2-3 eighth, and Aaron Heilman, who spent his first six seasons in New York, hurled a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
Arizona put up three runs in the first thanks to consecutive run-scoring singles by Adam LaRoche, Montero and Mark Reynolds.
Wright got his glove on Reynolds' base hit and couldn't make a play, but made up for the near miss by sending one over the left-field fence in the bottom half to tie the game. Reyes singled and Luis Castillo walked ahead of the blast.
Stephen Drew's double to the left-field gap scored Montero in the third, though Wright answered again in New York's turn, following Pagan's walk with a shot to center to give the Mets their only lead.
Game Notes
Wright now has 15 multi-home run games in his career...Pelfrey finished July 0-3 in five starts and saw his earned-run average rise from 2.93 to 4.10...Before the game, the Mets traded minor league first baseman Mike Jacobs, who played seven games with the big club this season, to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later. New York also placed outfielder Jason Bay on the 15-day disabled list due to a concussion and recalled outfielder Jesus Feliciano from Triple-A Buffalo...Reyes and Wright each had three of the Mets' seven hits...Chris Young, Johnson, LaRoche and Reynolds each had two hits for the D'Backs...Arizona has won eight of the last nine in the series, including all four so far this season.
<< Happ's Houston debut a gem as Astros down punchless Brewers
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings in his
Houston debut, as the Astros handled the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0, in the opener
of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Happ (2-0) and minor leaguers Jonatha
<< Stammen strong, so are Nats' bats as Oswalt's Philly debut a dud
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Willingham and Roger Bernadina both
stroked a two-run double to back a solid outing by Craig Stammen, as
Washington cooled off the surging Phillies, 8-1, and, in doing so, spoiled Roy
Oswalt'
<< Bradford inks record deal with Rams
Earth City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams quarterback and 2010 top
overall draft choice Sam Bradford has reportedly agreed to a six-year deal
that is worth a record $50 million in guarantees.
According to the St. Louis Post-
<< Bautista continues grand season, lifts Jays over Tribe
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista's grand slam and league-leading
31st home run highlighted a six-run fourth, as the Toronto Blue Jays won their
fourth straight with an 8-1 rout of the struggling Cleveland Indians at Rogers
Centre.
Harrell wins MLB debut as White Sox extend home win streak >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Beckham had two hits and drove in two
runs to support six solid innings from Lucas Harrell in his major league debut
as Chicago downed Oakland, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
Harrell (1-0),
Peralta homers twice in Tigers debut; Detroit tops Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhonny Peralta hit a pair of homers and drove in
three in his Tigers debut, as Detroit held on against Boston's furious ninth-
inning rally for a 6-5 decision in the first of three between the clubs at
Fenway
Twins remain hot, sink Mariners >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome and Alexi Casilla both clubbed a
two-run homer, as the streaking Minnesota Twins beat Seattle, 5-3, in the
opener of a three-game series at Target Field.
J.J. Hardy had two hits and score
Prado leaves Friday's game >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado
left Friday's game against Cincinnati with an undisclosed injury.
Prado slid somewhat awkwardly headfirst into home plate on Jayson Heyward's
game-winning two-
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.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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