08/19/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Burnett was sensational on the hill, Adam Lind hit a game-tying homer in the seventh and the Blue Jays got a lift from Johnny Damon's fielding gaffe in the eighth, as Toronto edged the New York Yankees, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
Burnett (16-9) allowed just one run on five hits over eight frames while striking out a season-high 13 batters and walking one to move within a game of Cleveland's Cliff Lee for the AL lead in wins. The right-hander also recorded his sixth straight win. B.J. Ryan threw a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Marco Scutaro had the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth for the Jays, who have won six of their last seven to move one game behind the Yankees for third place in the AL East and a game back of NY in the Wild Card standings for the third spot. Joe Inglett scored the run on Scutaro's double. Alex Rios went 0- for-4 to snap a 26-game hitting streak against the Yankees.
Darrell Rasner did not factor in the decision despite a phenomenal outing in which he yielded one run on three hits over 6 2/3 frames. Jose Veras (3-2) was saddled with the loss as he gave up the deciding run in 1 1/3 innings.
Damon scored the lone run for the Yankees, who have recorded just three wins over their last 10 games. Bobby Abreu was the only Yankee with multiple hits, a pair of doubles, and drove Damon in. The Yankees have fallen 11 games behind Tampa Bay for the lead in the AL East and 6 1/2 behind Boston in the Wild Card standings.
Inglett sparked a go-ahead, two-out rally in the eighth with a single. Scutaro then hit a routine fly ball to Damon in center, who moved into position to catch the ball. Damon, though, let the ball bounce out of his glove before crashing into the wall. It was ultimately ruled a double for Scutaro as Inglett easily crossed home.
The fielding mistake was the second of the game for Damon, who let a similar situation occur in the first inning. The original blooper moved two runners into scoring position, though Rasner worked around it to continue unscathed.
Alex Rodriguez led off the ninth with a bloop single to shallow right off Ryan, but was thrown out at second trying to turn it into a double. Jason Giambi went down swinging for the second out and Xavier Nady flied out to Rios in right on the first pitch he saw to end the game.
The Yankees got on the board in the first inning. Damon led off with a walk and, after Derek Jeter went down swinging, Abreu followed with an RBI double.
Lind then stepped to the plate with one out in the seventh and single- handedly ruined Rasner's outing. Toronto had only two hits before its left fielder deposited Rasner's 3-2 slider just over the fence in right to tie the game at 1-1.
Rasner responded by getting Lyle Overbay to ground out, though Veras was called in to record the final out.
Game Notes
The Blue Jays kicked off a crucial six-game homestand against the Yankees and Boston Tuesday. Toronto is a solid 35-26 as the host this season...The Yankees and Blue Jays are tied 5-5 in this year's season series, but NY has lost three of four games at the Rogers Centre.
<< Mets closer Wagner out indefinitely
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets closer Billy Wagner will be out
indefinitely as he is experiencing more pain and swelling in his left elbow.
Wagner had an MRI exam at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York
on T
<< Andreev, Fish, Karlovic all reach third round in New Haven
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, second-
seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic and eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish were second-
round winners Tuesday at the $708,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S.
Open tu
<< Jets sign WR Brackins
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets signed wide receiver
Larry Brackins on Tuesday following the injury to start-up wideout David
Clowney during Saturday's 13-10 preseason setback to Washington.
Brackins is fres
<< Tennessee gains TE Warren, loses Cottam to surgery
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee received NCAA
approval Tuesday for sophomore tight end Brandon Warren to suit up for the
Vols this season.
Head coach Phillip Fulmer also announced that junior tight en
Youkilis, Dice-K lead Sox past O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and
Daisuke Matsuzaka remained perfect on the road, as the Boston Red Sox defeated
the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, at Camden Yards.
Matsuzaka (15-2) pitched five innin
Big eighth inning helps Mets top Braves >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Delgado's two-run double was part of a
five-run eighth inning, as the New York Mets took a 7-3 win over the Atlanta
Braves in the opener of a three-game set at Shea Stadium.
Damion Easley hit a tw
New AL-best Rays top Angels with help from Shields, Aybar >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Aybar had a two-run single in a
decisive eighth and James Shields tossed eight effective innings, as the Tampa
Bay Rays downed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-2, in the middle contest
of a th
Harden, Cubs blank Reds >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rich Harden dominated for seven innings, and
the Cubs tagged the Cincinnati bullpen for four runs in the eighth as Chicago
downed the Reds, 5-0, in the opener of a three-game set.
Harden (3-1) surrendered
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting