Marson slams Indians past Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lou Marson's first career grand slam highlighted a five-run sixth inning, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 6-1 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Angels in the middle test of a three- game set.

Travis Hafner added his 11th homer of the season for the Indians, who have won the first two games of this series. Jordan Brown and Michael Brantley each added two hits in the win.

Justin Masterson (6-12) continued the Indians' string of good starting pitching, allowing just one run on six hits and two walks while fanning five in seven frames. Cleveland starters have now allowed three or fewer runs in 12 of 13 games.

"I had good control with my mechanics," Masterson said. "I kept the ball down in the zone, and I had some good defense. Things are coming together."

Torii Hunter homered for the Angels, who have lost five straight at home for the first time since April 28-May 2, 2006. With 15 losses in 21 games, Los Angeles has fallen 9 1/2 games behind Texas in the AL West.

Trevor Bell (2-5) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks to receive the loss.

"Trevor never got into a rhythm," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "We had one bad inning, and they were patient and got the home run. We have to clean some stuff up."

After the Angels tied the game in the fifth, the Indians used a couple big swings to go ahead for good in the sixth.

Hafner began the inning with a blast just over the large wall in right-center. The umpires needed to review it despite initially ruling it correctly, and the replay confirmed the result.

Brown singled two batters later off Francisco Rodriguez, who relieved Bell, and Rodriguez issued consecutive walks to Jason Donald and Luis Valbuena to load the bases with one out. Marson followed by belting a waist-high fastball just over the left-field wall for a grand slam and 6-1 lead.

Masterson and the Indians bullpen held the Angels scoreless down the stretch.

The Indians got on the board in the third on Shin-Soo Choo's sacrifice fly, but Hunter tied the game in the fifth on a long home run to center.

Game Notes

The Indians lead the season series, 3-2...Angels pitcher Scot Shields (elbow) left the game...With wins in the first two games of this series, the Indians clinched their first series victory in Anaheim since May 9-11, 2005...Marson also threw out 2-of-2 potential base stealers, raising his season total to 23- of-63, the best percentage in the majors...Angels starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of 12 games.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.