Yankees rally past Tribe; A-Rod stuck on 599

Baseball Betting Lines

07/26/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Yankees took the first of four consecutive meetings with the Cleveland Indians, 3-2, at Progressive Field.

Nick Swisher added a solo home run to account for all of the Yankee scoring. It was Granderson's third home run in two games. He had the lone multi-hit game for New York, which has won five of six.

Alex Rodriguez remained stuck on 599 career home runs. He was 0-for-4 Monday and will continue his quest for No. 600 on Tuesday, his 35th birthday.

Javier Vazquez (9-7) was effective over seven-plus innings, limiting the Tribe to five hits and two runs. He walked three and struck out five in winning his third straight decision. Mariano Rivera picked up his 21st save for tossing a scoreless ninth.

Travis Hafner hit a solo home run and Shin-Soo Choo recorded an RBI double for Cleveland, which has lost four of five.

Jake Westbrook (6-7) pitched eight strong innings in making a good audition for a possible contender as trade rumors persist. He permitted only four hits, but also three runs after serving up Granderson's deciding blast. The veteran righty struck out five while walking two.

Worldwideganble Baseball Betting News

<< Cavs deal West, Telfair to T'Wolves for Sessions, Hollins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded guards Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Ramon Sessions, center Ryan Hollins and a 2013 second-round draft pick. West avera

<< Martinez back in Red Sox lineup
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox activated catcher Victor Martinez from the 15-day disabled list Monday after a month-long absence. Martinez broke his left thumb during a June 27 game against the Giants when a foul tip

<< Two Drexel hoop players in trouble with the law
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drexel University has placed three male students, including basketball players Jamie Harris and Kevin Phillip, on interim suspension pending the outcome of a police investigation into a robbery

<< Titans file lawsuit against Kiffin, USC
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans have filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California and head coach Lane Kiffin in the wake of the hiring flap surrounding Kennedy Pola. On Saturday, USC announc

<< Packers sign second-round pick DE Neal
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers signed their 2010 second-round pick, defensive end Mike Neal Monday. Terms of the contract were not released. Selected 56th overall, the 6-foot-3, 294-pound Neal started 23 of

Blue Jays continue domination of O's >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer and Aaron Hill added a two-run shot and knocked in three, as the Toronto Blue Jays earned a 9-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the first of a three-game set at Roge

Garza gets Rays' first no-hitter by blanking Tigers >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Garza tossed the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay history in a 5-0 win over Detroit in the opener of a four-game set at Tropicana Field. Garza (11-5) walked one, struck out six and faced the minimum

Cubs' catcher Soto leaves game in Houston >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto left Monday's game against the Astros with a bruised left foot. Soto grounded out to lead off the top of the sixth but did not come out to take his position defe

White Sox stretch home win streak to eight >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Danks tossed eight innings of one-run ball, and Juan Pierre went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, as the White Sox returned to U.S. Cellular Field with a 6-1 win over Seattle. Chicago, com

Raiders sign second-round pick Houston >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders have signed defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, their second-round draft choice. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Houston was the 44th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Texas. Hou

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.