05/13/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - California-born left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes looks for a third start without a loss tonight when the Atlanta Braves open a three-game series with their National League East Division rival Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
A second-round draft pick in 2003, Reyes reached the majors last season and was 2-2 with a 6.22 earned run average over 50 2/3 innings in 11 games - 10 starts.
He faced the Phillies in his lone relief appearance in 2007 and allowed three hits and a run in 3 1/3 innings.
This season, Reyes made his debut with 5 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-run ball in a 9-1 victory over Cincinnati at Turner Field on May 3.
He's started once since, allowing five hits and an earned run in 2 2/3 innings of the Braves' 5-4 defeat of San Diego.
Tonight will be Reyes' first road appearance of 2008.
Righty Kyle Kendrick can make it five starts without a loss for the Phillies.
The 23-year-old, a seventh-round pick in 2003, lost two straight starts on April 9 and 16, but has since recorded a victory and three no-decisions in four starts.
He beat Pittsburgh for the victory in that stretch, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in seven innings of an 8-4 Phillies win.
Overall, the Houston native has allowed 49 hits and 21 earned runs in 38 1/3 innings.
On Monday in Pittsburgh, Tim Hudson gave up just one unearned run as Atlanta defeated Pittsburgh, 8-1, to help the Braves split a doubleheader with the Pirates at PNC Park.
Hudson (6-2) settled down after a first inning run and wound up throwing seven innings of two-hit ball to win his third straight start. He also walked two while striking out five for the Braves, who avoided a four-game sweep.
Brian McCann hit a three-run home run while Mark Kotsay went 3-for-5 with three RBI for Atlanta, which has the best home record in the majors (14-4), but is also saddled with the worst road record (5-14).
In the first game, Freddy Sanchez doubled in three runs and Zach Duke pitched six scoreless innings for his second straight win, as Pittsburgh captured a 5-0 victory.
On Sunday in San Francisco, Steve Holm's first major league home run in the bottom of the seventh inning drove in the winning run, as the Giants edged the Phillies, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series at AT&T Park.
Adam Eaton gave up two runs on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts over five-plus innings. J.C. Romero (3-1) allowed two runs in the seventh to absorb the loss.
Ryan Howard had an RBI triple for the Phillies, who have dropped three of their last four games. Philadelphia was limited to only six hits in the loss.
Philadelphia split its nine matchups with the Braves last season, but the Braves won five of the nine matchups at Citizens Bank Park.
<< D'Backs try to stop slide vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, the Diamondbacks are a team that can be beat.
Arizona will try to halt its season-long losing streak tonight in the opener
of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Arizona was sw
<< Red-hot Berkman, Astros square off against Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Lance Berkman and his Houston Astro teammates aim to
keep up their recent hot streaks when the surging club plays the second of
four consecutive clashes with the San Francisco Giants tonight at AT&T Park.
Houston
<< Tigers continue to be victimized by poor starting pitching
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having completed the first quarter of the season, there is
no question what has been the culprit for the Detroit Tigers' horrendous
start.
The starting pitching, by and large, has just been awful. Entering play
Tuesday, D
<< Weaver leads Angels vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver hopes to bounce back from one of the worst
starts in his career this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
resume their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium.
Weaver
Pistons try to eliminate Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons attempt to advance to the Eastern
Conference finals for the sixth straight year, as they host the Orlando Magic
in Game 5 of their semifinal series.
Detroit leads this best-of-seven series 3-1. If neces
Flyers host Game 3 of East finals against Pens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers hope a return to their home ice can
get them on the board in the Eastern Conference finals, as Philly welcomes the
Pittsburgh Penguins to the Wachovia Center for Game 3 of the best-of-seven
series.
Volquez tries to stay hot against Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed phenom Edinson Volquez looks for an eighth
straight quality start tonight when the Cincinnati Reds host the Florida
Marlins in game two of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Volquez, acquired from
Rays aim to maintain winning ways in rematch with Yanks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to extend their franchise-record
home-winning streak to 11 games this evening, when they continue their four-
game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.
Tampa moved six games abo
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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