Padres seek to extend domination of Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

08/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have never swept a season series from the Pittsburgh Pirates and will try to make history tonight in the finale of a three-game series at Petco Park.

San Diego has won eight in a row overall in this series and the first five matchups with the Pirates this season. The Padres' longest winning streak against the Pirates is 10 games bridging the 1995 and 1996 seasons. They won Tuesday's series opener by a 4-1 score behind a strong outing by Wade LeBlanc, then got a respectable showing from Kevin Correia in last night's 8-5 victory.

Correia was reached for four runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts to improve to 9-7 this season. Heath Bell then notched his 33rd save with a perfect ninth and has converted each of his previous 20 save opportunities since May 29.

"I felt good, I had good command," Correia said. "I finally had the off-speed pitches to match my fastball command I've had in the past few starts. I felt in control of the game."

Jerry Hairston Jr. ended with two hits, including a home run, and two RBI, while All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez was 4-for-4 with two runs batted in and a pair of runs scored for the National League West-leading Padres, who have won three in a row overall and own a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the division standings. Hairston has three homers in his last four games. San Diego owns the best record in the NL and will kick off a 10-game road trip tomorrow starting with three games against the Giants.

Jon Garland will try to maintain San Diego's lead atop the NL West when he toes the rubber tonight. Garland has lost two of his past three starts and is coming off a seven-inning showing in Friday's 2-1 setback at Arizona. He allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings to fall to 10-8 in 23 starts with a 3.55 earned run average.

The right-hander is 6-2 in 12 starts at Petco Park this season and 1-2 in four career games (3 starts) against Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is riding a three-game losing streak and will try to salvage the finale of this series. James McDonald suffered the loss last night after he was reached for four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

"I felt my command was a little bad at times," McDonald said. "When I get ahead of a hitter in 0-2, 1-2 counts I have to be more aggressive and put them away early in the counts."

Ryan Doumit ended with a pair of runs batted in and Neil Walker was 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for the Pirates.

Zach Duke hopes to get back into the win column when he takes the mound tonight. Duke is 0-1 in two starts since a modest two-game win streak and did not factor in the outcome of last Friday's 6-3 loss versus Colorado. He lasted six innings and yielded three runs and 10 hits.

Duke is 5-10 with a 5.32 earned run average in 19 starts this season, and 2-2 in four career starts against San Diego.

Cvssportsline Baseball Betting News

<< D'Backs go for first-ever sweep in Brew City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona's four-game series with Milwaukee has certainly featured some exciting moments for the club, but there is one more thing left to do. The Diamondbacks, who have already secured their first series win at Miller Pa

<< Marlins try for fourth straight win, sweep of Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The chances of the Marlins matching their longest winning streak of the season and completing a three-game sweep of Washington tonight just got stronger with Ricky Nolasco set to take the mound. Nolasco has won five straig

<< 180-year sentence in death of NBA player's brother
CHICAGO (AP) -A judge in Chicago has handed down a 180-year prison sentence for a man convicted of killing the brother of NBA player Quentin Richardson.Thirty-one-year-old Lee Richardson Jr. was shot to death during a robbery in December 2005.Author

<< 5 arrested in All-Star protest at baseball meeting
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Police arrested five protesters outside the quarterly meeting of Major League baseball team owners in Minneapolis.They were among 100 people who gathered outside a downtown hotel Wednesday, trying to deliver petitions to commission

<< Fog delays start of PGA Championship
Kohler, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The start of the first round of the 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits has been delayed due to fog. The forecast called for early fog that was to burn off after 9:00 a.m. local time and give way to

Giants hope to secure series win over Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants try for a series victory over the Chicago Cubs this afternoon in the finale of a four-game series at AT&T Park. The NL Wild Card-leading Giants have won two of the first three installments of t

Amid chaos, Mets try for series win against Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While Colorado is hoping to make a late charge for a postseason spot, things just keep getting worse for New York, especially closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Rockies, looking to win in Queens for just the fifth time in 27

Yankees send Sabathia to hill in opener at KC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia tries for his 15th win of the season this evening when the New York Yankees open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Sabathia, who can tie Tampa's David Price for the

Showalter's Orioles shoot for sweep of Tribe >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles hope to continue their resurgence under new manager Buck Showalter this evening, when they shoot for a season- high fifth straight win in the finale of a three-game set with the Cleveland Indians

Red Sox have brooms ready in finale at Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox try to continue their recent mastery of the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon when they go for a sweep in their three- game series at Rogers Centre, Boston won for the ninth time in 11 chances against

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.