Brewers' Bush takes on Pirates at Miller Park
Baseball Betting Lines
08/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh native Dave Bush faces his hometown team for the 16th time today, when the Milwaukee Brewers close out a three-game weekend set with the visiting Pirates at Miller Park.
A 30-year-old product of Wake Forest, Bush is 5-5 in his previous encounters with the Pirates, including an 11-9 loss at Pittsburgh on July 20 in which he was touched for nine hits and 10 runs across just four innings.
In 84 career innings against them, he's allowed 83 hits and 51 runs.
Bush has gone 2-3 with a no-decision in six subsequent starts, including a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last outing on Aug. 24.
He is 3-6 in Milwaukee this season with a 4.84 earned run average.
Pittsburgh counters with righty Charlie Morton, who returns to the majors for the first time since late May.
The 26-year-old was a third-round draft choice of the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and reached the majors in 2008. He won four games in 16 appearances with Atlanta that season before coming to the Pirates in a trade and going 5-9 in 18 starts in 2009.
Morton began this season with Pittsburgh and won just once in 10 starts before heading to Triple-A Indianapolis with a 9.35 ERA in 43 1/3 innings.
The recall came after right-handed starter Ross Ohlendorf was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a damaged muscle behind his shoulder. He was removed after eight pitches of Monday's start against St. Louis.
Morton is winless in six road starts this season and is 0-3 in three career meetings with Milwaukee, including an 8-1 loss to the Brewers in Pittsburgh on April 20.
On Saturday, Lorenzo Cain's RBI single in the 11th inning lifted the Brewers to an 8-7 win.
With Wilfredo Ledezma (0-1) on the mound, Ryan Braun singled to start the frame and moved to second when Prince Fielder reached base on a Neil Walker error. After Casey McGehee flied out, Cain punched a single to left to score Braun for the win.
Fielder clubbed two home runs, while Braun added two hits and scored twice for the Brewers, who have taken the first two games of this series and are 12-5 against the Buccos this season. Chris Capuano lasted just three innings in the start and was reached for six runs on six hits with three walks.
Six Milwaukee relievers combined to pitch the remaining eight innings and gave up just one run on five hits with Kameron Loe (3-3) getting the win.
Chris Snyder hit a three-run home run, while Jose Tabata and Walker each added a solo shot for the Pirates, who have lost eight of their last 11. Zach Duke went 5 1/3 innings and was charged with four runs on nine hits.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Lilly will try to stay unbeaten in Dodger blue this afternoon, as he takes the hill in the finale of a three-game series against the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Lilly has won all five starts
<< Giants wrap up series vs. D'Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giants rookie Buster Posey is a big reason for the club's
success, but a forearm strain has been bothering the young catcher lately. He
is expected to be back in today's lineup versus the Arizona Diamondbacks in
the fin
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 29th
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Group C Halftime: China 41 Ivory Coast 33 (Ankara)
Group D Halftime: Canada 43 Lithuania 33 (Izmir)
Group A End of 1st Quarter: Jordan 17 Angola 16 (Kayseri)
Group B End of 1st Quarter : USA 23 Slovenia 11 (Istanbul
<< Marlins' infield dirt to provide Miami a challenge
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -When No. 13 Miami opens its season Thursday, it's probable that some of the Hurricanes will be bloodied and scraped by the time the game ends.And it might not be Florida A&M's fault, either.The Hurricanes' roughest oppon
<< da Silva cruises to Zambia Open title
Ndola, Zambia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adilson da Silva closed with a one-under 72
Sunday to cruise to a four-shot win at the Zambia Open.
The Brazilian, who was runner-up in the last Sunshine Tour event, finished the
54-hole event at 17-under
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves were able to end their four-game slide with last night's win versus the Florida Marlins. This afternoon they'll try for a series victory over their division rivals in the fin
Dickey leads Mets into finale vs. Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Resurgent knuckleballer R.A. Dickey aims for a second
straight win and third in four decisions today, when the New York Mets close
out a three-game series with the visiting Houston Astros at Citi Field.
The Mets
Reds, Cubs conclude set in Cincy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie left-hander Travis Wood steps into Edinson Volquez's
spot in the Cincinnati starting rotation today, when the first-place Reds
close out a three-game weekend series with the visiting Chicago Cubs at Great
America
Cards' Wainwright goes for win No. 18 in Washington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals co-ace Adam Wainwright will try to
become the first 18-game winner in the National League when he takes the ball
Sunday afternoon in the finale of a four-game series from Nationals Park.
Wainwrigh
Richard, Padres aim to salvage set with Phils >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padres left-hander Clayton Richard will try to keep his
unbeaten streak intact and pull San Diego to victory this afternoon against
the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game series at Petco Park.
Richa
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.
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.