Cubs, Brewers to battle in matchup of Central disappointments

Baseball Betting Lines

08/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year. Instead, the two clubs will both be looking to snap five-game losing streaks in this evening's opener of a three- game series at Wrigley Field.

The 2010 season hasn't gone either the Brewers or Cubs way, as Milwaukee is 11 1/2 games out of first place in the National League Central and Chicago is 13 off the pace. That has both clubs looking towards next season. Chicago manager Lou Piniella has already announced his plans to retire at year's end, while Milwaukee faces the free agency of slugger Prince Fielder following the 2011 campaign.

Fielder won't be joined in free agency by teammate Corey Hart after the All- Star outfielder signed a three-year contract extension on Monday morning. Hart is hitting .288 with 23 homers and 72 RBI this year.

Hart's most recent homer was a two-run shot in the sixth inning on Sunday that snapped the Brewers' 28-inning scoreless drought. It was also the only runs Milwaukee managed in the 5-2 loss to Houston.

The Brewers lost the first two games of that set by way of a shutout and are being outscored 38-8 over their losing streak. Milwaukee went just 1-for-22 with runners in scoring position versus Houston and lost starter Randy Wolf on Sunday after he was hit on the left wrist by a line drive in the seventh inning. He exited with the lead, but Kameron Loe allowed a pair of runs to take the loss.

Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo had won three of his past four starts before matching the shortest outing of his career last time out. The 24-year-old yielded six runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits over just 2 2/3 innings of a loss to the Reds on Tuesday, falling to 9-5 with a 2.77 earned run average on the season.

Gallardo has been excellent in 10 road starts this year, going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA. He was at home the last time he faced the Cubs, getting a no-decision on June 8 despite seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball.

The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in five career starts versus Chicago, which comes into this game on its longest losing streak of the season.

The Cubs not only lost Sunday's game in Colorado, 8-7, but also starting pitcher Carlos Silva after just four batters due to an abnormal heart rate.

Chicago nearly rallied to victory. Marlon Byrd pulled the Cubs to within two after bringing home a pair of runs with a triple in the ninth inning. Alfonso Soriano, who homered early in the game, was then robbed of another by Colorado's Dexter Fowler, but the sacrifice fly brought home Byrd. The Cubs could do no further damage, however.

"It's disappointing that we lost, but when you're behind like that it's tough to come back," said Cubs acting manager Alan Trammell. "We had a shot because if the ball goes out there we tie the game."

Piniella was not at Sunday's game because he was attending the funeral of his uncle.

Chicago will send Randy Wells to the hill tonight, and he threw 14 scoreless innings over two previous starts before a loss to Houston on Wednesday. The 27-year-old righty gave up three runs on five hits and five walks over 5 2/3 innings of an 8-1 loss, falling to 5-8 with a 4.10 ERA on the season.

Wells is 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts versus the Brewers this year and 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA against them lifetime.

Chicago has won six of nine versus Milwaukee this year and took two of three from the Brewers at Wrigley Field from April 12-15.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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