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07/22/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationals' rotation has gotten a jolt ever since Stephen Strasburg joined the club in June. The Reds are hoping for a similar result from Edinson Volquez.
Volquez will make his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery this afternoon when Cincinnati tries to deny Washington a split of their four- game series at Great American Ball Park.
The right-handed Volquez took the field on Saturday for the first time since June 1 of last year and got the win after holding the Rockies to just a run and three hits over six innings, walking two while striking out nine.
The Reds will hope for more of that today from Volquez, who also served a 50- game suspension during his recovery for violating the league's drug policy and went 4-2 with a 4.35 earned run average in nine starts a season ago after winning 17 games in 2008.
"It was not easy, but I was comfortable [Saturday] after the first inning," Volquez told the Reds' website. "I was really, really excited, big crowd tonight, first time. It seemed like this was my first time in the big leagues."
The 27-year-old has faced the Nationals just once before, picking up a victory on July 6, 2008 after getting charged with three runs over six frames of work.
Volquez will be looking to pitch the Reds to a series win tonight after they took the first two games of this set prior to losing 8-5 last night to Strasburg and the Nationals. Washington's phenom yielded three runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven to win his third straight start.
"We've been putting up runs these last few games and it's great," Strasburg said. "It makes the pitcher's job a lot easier. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Cristian Guzman notched a two-run homer, Willie Harris added a solo shot and both Nyjer Morgan and Ian Desmond produced two-run singles for the Nationals, who snapped a four-game skid and won for the second time in eight games.
Miguel Cairo had a two-run single for the Reds, but Bronson Arroyo was charged with seven runs over 5 2/3 innings. Cincinnati's second loss in six games dropped the club 1 1/2 contests behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central.
"It was a tough loss tonight because we swung the bats well against a very tough pitcher," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He has good stuff and he's going to be good for a long time."
Nationals starter Livan Hernandez is in search of his first win since June 21, going 0-2 in five starts since. His two losses have come in back-to-back starts and he has allowed four or more runs three times over his winless drought.
That wasn't the case on Saturday versus the Marlins as Hernandez only allowed two runs, one earned, over six innings of a 2-0 loss. The 35-year-old right- hander fell to 6-6 with a 3.27 ERA on the season and 2-4 with a 4.32 ERA in eight road outings.
Hernandez did not factor into the decision of a June 4 start versus the Reds even though he allowed just two runs over six innings. He did have to work around eight hits and four walks, though, and is just 2-7 with a 5.46 ERA lifetime against Cincinnati in 14 starts.
The Cuban hurler isn't expected to face Reds' triple crown threat Joey Votto, who is hitting .305 with 23 homers and 64 RBI in 90 games this year. He is expected to get the day off in favor of catcher Ramon Hernandez, who will come off the disabled list today and play first. Hernandez has been out since July 4 because of a sore knee.
The Reds took two of three in Washington from June 4-6, but it was the Nationals who won three of four at Cincinnati last season.
<< Henry not the solution as MLS seeks legitimacy
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer has long been hoping to
acquire a sense of legitimacy within the soccer world. The acquisition of
players with marketing appeal has long been a tenet the league has used in
order to gain su
<< Struggling Tigers in need of deadline help
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline fast
approaching and the post-all-star break blues in full effect, the Detroit
Tigers have some serious soul-searching to do before July 31st.
Heading into the Mid-Su
<< Rockets feel ready to contend in West
HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Rockets think they are ready to contend in the Western Conference, even after striking out on the big names in this summer's free-agent bonanza.When their main target, Chris Bosh, opted to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade
<< D-Backs edge Mets in 14 to complete rare sweep
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Snyder's hit to the gap in left-center
field scored Justin Upton with the winning run in the 14th inning, boosting
Arizona to a 4-3 win over the New York Mets, as the Diamondbacks completed
their f
Padres go for series win over Braves in Dixie >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outstanding play at home and the ability to hold late leads
are the main reasons why the Braves own the top spot in the National League
East.
The Padres overcame both last night.
After an extra-inning victory on W
Twins hope to solve road struggles in trip to Baltimore >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have had their problems when playing
on the road in recent weeks, but a visit to Baltimore's Camden Yards could
help solve those struggles.
Minnesota starts up a week-long trek with tonight's opener of
Pirates, red-hot Alvarez close out set vs. Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Led by Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh's offense has exploded
since the All-Star break. Seems that Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo is coming
back at just the right time.
Gallardo is set to make his first start in nearly th
Rangers turn to Lee for opener of key set with Angels >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Texas Rangers acquired Cliff Lee to help end the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim's reign of dominance in the American League West.
The All-Star hurler gets his first crack at the three-time defending division
champions sin
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting 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.
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