White Sox edge Boston again to sweep doubleheader

Baseball Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd tossed six solid innings and Carlos Quentin posted two hits and scored twice as the Chicago White Sox edged Boston, 3-1, to sweep a doubleheader at Fenway Park.

Mark Teahen also had a pair of hits and Ramon Castro drove in a run for the White Sox, who took the opener by a 3-1 count and have won five straight games. Chicago also crept within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Twins in the AL Central. Minnesota beat Texas earlier Saturday.

Floyd (10-11) scattered five hits and a run in his outing, fanning five with two walks.

Marco Scutaro knocked in the lone run for the Red Sox, who have dropped five of their last seven.

John Lackey (12-9) took the loss after yielding four hits and three runs (one earned) over seven frames. He struck out seven in defeat.

Chicago struck for two runs in the seventh and took the lead for good, as Teahen singled before Quentin doubled him in and moved to third on a wild throw from Red Sox center fielder Ryan Kalish. Castro then lofted a fly to right for a 3-1 game.

Boston put two runners on against Chris Sale in the eighth, but Bobby Jenks induced an inning-ending fly out by Darnell McDonald.

Jenks then set the side down in order in the ninth to earn his 27th save -- having locked up both Chicago victories in the twinbill.

The visitors picked up a run in the third as Quentin tripled to lead off, then scored when Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia dropped a throw from Scutaro at the plate with one out.

Boston wasted a one-out double from Bill Hall in the home half, then Lackey worked out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fourth by getting Castro looking at strike three.

The Red Sox broke through in the fifth as Kalish walked, Hall singled and Scutaro chased Kalish home with a base hit.

Game Notes

The White Sox have won six of the last 10 meetings with the Red Sox dating back to last season...Prior to the contest, the Red Sox announced that catcher Jason Varitek, out since June 30 with a broken right foot, has been cleared to play and will have a brief rehab stint on Sunday and Monday at Triple-A Pawtucket.

Wwpogo Baseball Betting News

<< Newton accounts for 5 TDs in Auburn's opening rout
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Junior quarterback Cameron Newton was impressive in his Auburn debut, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more, as the 22nd-ranked Tigers dominated Arkansas State, 52-26, in the season opener

<< CB Vasher, WR Reed among Chargers' final cuts
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers pared their roster to the 53-player maximum on Saturday, releasing 23 players as part of their "cut- down day" moves. Excised were wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu, tackle Brady Bond, runni

<< FCD extends unbeaten run to 13 with win over Toronto
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas earned a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC in Major League Soccer action at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night. Jeff Cunningham's eighth goal of the season and 129th of his MLS career were enough to propel

<< Alabama starts BCS title defense with rout of San Jose State
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson each rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and top-ranked Alabama began defense of its BCS national title with a 48-3 win over San Jose State. Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron

<< Patriots list LBs Alexander, Burgess, Woods among final cuts
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebackers Eric Alexander, Derrick Burgess and Pierre Woods, all of whom had a role with the Patriots in past years, were released as part of New England's "cut-down-day" roster maneuvers on Saturday. Alexa

Raiders dump ex-starters Lawton, Morris, Richardson on cut day >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fullback Luke Lawton, center Chris Morris and defensive end Jay Richardson were among the prominent players released by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the NFL-mandated maximum o

Castroneves prevails at Kentucky >>
Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Helio Castroneves conserved enough fuel at the finish to win Saturday's IZOD IndyCar Series race at Kentucky Speedway. Castroneves drove the final 53 laps around the 1.5-mile oval without pitting. The Team P

Irvin, Tyler among Panthers' final cuts >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive linemen Corvey Irvin and Tank Tyler were among the notables released by the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum Irvin, a third-round draft choice o

Lions Release CB Bly, 19 more >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cornerback Dre' Bly was among the players released by the Detroit Lions on Saturday, as the team pared its roster to the 53-player NFL maximum. Bly, an 11-year NFL veteran who returned to Detroit in the offs

Lee's eighth-inning HR pushes Astros past D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee hit the game-winning three-run home run in the eighth inning and drove in four to lead Houston to a 6-5 come-from- behind win over Arizona in the middle meeting of a three-game series. Lee finished

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.