Tuesday, July 5, 2011

MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves

The fans at Turner Field will be treated to a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves when they take their seats on Tuesday.

The Rockies will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander Jhoulys Chacin in this game. Chacin has a 8-5 record and a 3.10 ERA this season.

Chacin's opponent in this one will be Derek Lowe. The Braves righthander has a 4.16 ERA to go along with a 4-6 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Braves listed as 145-moneyline favorites versus the Rockies, while the game's total is sitting at 7.

The Rockies were a 4-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Braves. That made winners of bettors who got Atlanta at -132 on the moneyline, while the total score (5) was good news for UNDER bettors.

Current streak: Colorado has lost 2 straight games.

Team records: Colorado: 41-44 SU Atlanta: 50-36 SU

Colorado most recently: When playing on Tuesday are 5-5 Before playing Atlanta are 5-5 After playing Atlanta are 5-5 After a loss are 5-5

Atlanta most recently: When playing on Tuesday are 5-5 Before playing Colorado are 5-5 After playing Colorado are 5-5 After a win are 7-3

A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Colorado's last 15 games on the road Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing Atlanta Colorado is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games Atlanta is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Colorado The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games at home

Next up: Atlanta home to Colorado, Wednesday, July 6

MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves

Saturday, July 2, 2011

NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Preview

The drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will head back to Daytona International Speedway for their next race, the Coke Zero 400, on Saturday night.

Kurt Busch won the circuit's last race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards ended up second and third at that event, with Clint Bowyer and Marcos Ambrose rounding out the day's Top 5 drivers.

Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski made up the rest of the Top 10 at the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both failed to finish the race.

Edwards now has a 25-point lead on Harvick in the driver standings after 16 events, with Johnson 33 points back of the leader in third place.

Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, Gordon, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, and Stewart follow behind in the standings' Top 12.

Harvick won the Coke Zero 400 last season, while Trevor Bayne was the surprise winner of the Daytona 500 back in February. Gordon is the active leader in Cup wins on the track with six (most recently winning there in 2005).

Stewart has three career Cup wins at Daytona, and Harvick, Jamie McMurray, and Earnhardt Jr. have two apiece. Kenseth, Johnson, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Newman, and Kyle Busch have all won on the track once.

After racing at Daytona the Sprint Cup drivers will head to Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400 on July 9. The circuit's other July events will take place at New Hampshire (Lenox Industrial Tools 301) and Indianapolis (Brickyard 400).

NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Preview

The Poker Brat favored to win the WSOP Main Event. What are your odds?

Phil Hellmuth already has a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets in his trophy case. This year he has flirted with his 12th, finishing runner-up in two events already. Not surprising that BetOnline has the "Poker Brat" as the 90-1 favorite to win the Main Event. Daniel Negreanu owns four bracelets, but has never played at a final table of the Main Event. Kind of overdue says BetOnline as they have him at 100-1 to win poker's most coveted bracelet and 10-1 to make the November Nine. The most influential man in poker, Doyle Brunson and his 10 WSOP bracelets pays out at a healthy 120-1. "Who last longer" bets are always a popular side wager at any poker tournament; BetOnline has them covered too. In a rematch of 1998's Main Event and made popular in the movie Rounders, Eric Seidel is -130 to outlast Johnny Chan (even). Obviously BetOnline has odds on all of the big poker pros; however, they are missing odds on YOU. If you plan to play in the WSOP Main Event, contact BetOnline and their odds-makers will handicap your chances to make the November Nine and to win poker's most prestigious bracelet. Your name will be listed amongst all the poker greats? talk about bragging rights.

The Poker Brat favored to win the WSOP Main Event. What are your odds?

Interleague Play Preview: San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners

The San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners will both be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Safeco Field.

The Padres will pin their hopes on the pitching of lefthander Cory Luebke in this game. Luebke has a 0-0 record and a 0.00 ERA this season.

It'll be Doug Fister toeing the rubber for the Mariners in this contest. Righthander Fister is 3-8 with a 3.18 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Mariners listed as 123-moneyline favorites versus the Padres, while the game's total is sitting at 6½.

Last time out for San Diego, they were a 6-0 loser as they battled the Mariners on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Mariners at -133 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team records: San Diego: 37-46 SU Seattle: 40-42 SU

San Diego most recently: When playing on Saturday are 7-3 Before playing Seattle are 5-5 After playing Seattle are 4-6 After a loss are 3-7

Seattle most recently: When playing on Saturday are 4-6 Before playing San Diego are 5-5 After playing San Diego are 5-5 After a win are 1-9

A few trends to consider: San Diego is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego's last 5 games San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Seattle San Diego is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Seattle's last 15 games The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Seattle's last 9 games at home Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Diego

Next up: Seattle home to San Diego, Sunday, July 3

Interleague Play Preview: San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners

Interleague Play Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels

The fans at Angel Stadium will be treated to a interleague game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels when they take their seats on Saturday.

The Dodgers will pin their hopes on the pitching of lefthander Clayton Kershaw in this game. Kershaw has a 8-3 record and a 2.93 ERA this season.

Kershaw's opponent in this one will be Jered Weaver. The Angels righthander has a 1.97 ERA to go along with a 9-4 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Angels listed as 126-moneyline favorites versus the Dodgers, while the game's total is sitting at 6.

In their last action, Los Angeles was a 5-0 winner on the road against the Angels. Bettors on Los Angeles at +105 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Team records: Los Angeles: 37-46 SU Los Angeles: 42-41 SU

Los Angeles most recently: When playing on Saturday are 5-5 Before playing LA Angels are 1-9 After playing LA Angels are 5-5 After a win are 5-5

Los Angeles most recently: When playing on Saturday are 4-6 Before playing LA Dodgers are 8-2 After playing LA Dodgers are 5-5 After a loss are 6-4

A few trends to consider: The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 8 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games LA Dodgers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing LA Angels LA Angels are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games LA Angels are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing LA Dodgers LA Angels are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games

Next up: LA Angels home to LA Dodgers, Sunday, July 3

Interleague Play Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels

CFL Preview: Edmonton Eskimos vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will both be gunning for a victory on Sunday when they meet at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.

Oddsmakers currently have the Roughriders listed as 7-point favorites versus the Eskimos, while the game's total is sitting at 52.

2010 team records: Edmonton: 7-11 SU, 7-11 ATS Saskatchewan: 10-8 SU, 9-9 ATS

Edmonton most recently: When playing in July are 4-6 When playing on turf are 5-5 After outgaining opponent are 2-8 When playing within the conference are 4-6

Saskatchewan most recently: When playing in July are 7-3 When playing on turf are 5-5 After being outgained are 4-6 When playing within the conference are 5-5

A few trends to consider: The total has gone OVER in 9 of Edmonton's last 11 games when playing on the road against Saskatchewan Edmonton is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 6 games Edmonton is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road Saskatchewan is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home The total has gone OVER in 9 of Saskatchewan's last 11 games when playing at home against Edmonton The total has gone OVER in 4 of Saskatchewan's last 5 games at home Saskatchewan is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Edmonton

Next up: Edmonton home to Hamilton, Saturday, July 9 Saskatchewan home to Montreal, Saturday, July 9

CFL Preview: Edmonton Eskimos vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders

Friday, July 1, 2011

UFC 132 Betting Preview at Bodog

By Richard Gardner

It's not too often that the "little" guys get the top billing on a UFC card, but that's the case for Saturday night's UFC 132 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when the headline fight is a bantamweight championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. The original featured match of UFC 132 was set to be a rematch of B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch, but both were forced to withdraw because of injuries. UFC 132 also will feature headline matchups between Tito Ortiz and Ryan Bader as well as Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben.

Cruz (17-1) is the champion' but then again so is Faber (25-4); the latter is a former WEC featherweight king. Faber and Cruz have met before, in 2007, with Faber submitting Cruz with a one-armed guillotine choke in just 98 seconds to successfully defend his WEC featherweight title. And while Faber won his next three fights after that, he then lost three times in his next five fights, twice to Mike Thomas Brown and once to Jose Aldo. So he then moved to bantamweight (135 pounds) and has been strong in two fights in the class, beating Takeya Mizugaki by technical submission last November and then outpointing Eddie Wineland in both fighters' UFC debuts in March.

Cruz, meanwhile, only has the one loss to Faber on his resume. He hasn't lost since becoming a bantamweight, winning the WEC title by beating Brian Bowles in March 2010 and defending the belt twice since with victories over Joseph Benavidez in August and Scotty Jorgensen in December. When the WEC was merged into the UFC roster, Cruz became the first-ever UFC bantamweight champ. Now he is regarded as a top pound-for-pound fighter.

These two simply don't like each other. It goes back to a perceived slight before that 2007 bout. Back then Cruz was essentially an unknown fighter and wasn't a part of the marketing materials for the show ? thus he wasn't included on the event poster for WEC 26. And during an autograph session, Cruz laughingly signed his name over Faber?s face. Needless to say Faber then took out his revenge with the first-round victory. The fighters' feud has only grown since and escalated when Faber beat Wineland at UFC 128 and called out Cruz from the octagon.

"I have a hard time being enemies with people," Faber said in a lead-up media call for UFC 132. "Dominick has made it easy; he's got an interesting combo of throwing himself pity parties and feeling sorry for himself, but also giving himself a lot of credit for little things. Can he handle another loss and be cool?"

The line at Bodog on this fight opened with Cruz as the -130 favorite and Faber at even money. However, that line has dropped to -115 on both fighters despite Cruz taking nearly 75 percent of the moneyline action. Cruz is 5-0 in his career as the Bodog favorite, while Faber is 0-1 as an underdog. A little more than 56 percent of parlays are still active on this bout.

The other top fight figures to be between middleweights Silva, the former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder, and Leben, a participant in Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter." These two requested a fight and called each other out for nearly a year before UFC officials finally scheduled the co-main event of the UFC 132 card. It's Silva's first fight since February 2010 because of a knee injury.

Of all the main event fights on the card, Silva-Leben is drawing the most even action with Silva getting a slight edge at about 52 percent on the moneyline. He opened at -185 but has been bet up to -200. Leben opened at +155 and is now +160. Approximately 59 percent of parlays are still live on this fight.

UFC 132 Odds at Bodog

UFC 132 Betting Preview at Bodog

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CFL Preview: Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium will be treated to a game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when they take their seats on Friday.

Oddsmakers currently have the Tiger-Cats listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Blue Bombers, while the game's total is sitting at 51½.

2010 team records: Winnipeg: 4-14 SU, 10-7-1 ATS Hamilton: 9-9 SU, 10-8 ATS

Winnipeg most recently: When playing in July are 4-6 When playing on turf are 2-8 After outgaining opponent are 2-8 When playing within the conference are 1-9

Hamilton most recently: When playing in July are 4-6 When playing on turf are 4-6 After outgaining opponent are 6-4 When playing within the conference are 7-3

A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing on the road against Hamilton Winnipeg is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 10 games The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Hamilton's last 10 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 6 games The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg Hamilton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg

Next up: Winnipeg home to Toronto, Friday, July 8 Hamilton at Edmonton, Saturday, July 9

CFL Preview: Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Interleague Play Preview: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets

The New York Yankees will be trying to extend a winning streak on Friday when they take on the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Ivan Nova will be the starting pitcher for the Yankees on this day. Righthander Nova is 7-3 this season with a 4.19 ERA.

It'll be Jonathon Niese toeing the rubber for the Mets in this contest. Lefthander Niese is 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Yankees listed as 126-moneyline favorites versus the Mets, while the game's total is sitting at 9.

In their last action, New York was a 5-0 winner at home against the Brewers. Bettors on New York at -176 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

New York lost its last outing, a 5-2 result against the Tigers on June 30. Bettors who backed the Tigers at -225 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Current streak: New York has won 5 straight games.

Team records: New York: 48-31 SU New York: 41-40 SU

New York most recently: When playing on Friday are 7-3 Before playing NY Mets are 5-5 After playing Milwaukee are 3-2 After a win are 8-2

New York most recently: When playing on Friday are 3-7 Before playing NY Yankees are 6-4 After playing Detroit are 5-5 After a loss are 8-2

A few trends to consider: NY Yankees are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games NY Yankees are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road NY Yankees are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Mets The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 10 games on the road NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Mets's last 10 games when playing at home against NY Yankees The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games when playing NY Yankees

Next up: NY Mets home to NY Yankees, Saturday, July 2

Interleague Play Preview: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets

Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers

The San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Comerica Park in an interleague contest.

Lefthander Madison Bumgarner will take the mound for the Giants to start this game. Bumgarner is 4-9 this season with a 3.84 ERA.

Starting this game for the Tigers will be Brad Penny. The righthander has a 4.66 ERA to go along with a 5-6 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Tigers listed as 126-moneyline favorites versus the Giants, while the game's total is sitting at 8½.

San Francisco lost its last outing, a 5-2 result against the Cubs on June 30. Bettors who backed the Cubs at -102 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

In their last action, Detroit was a 5-2 winner at home against the Mets. Bettors on Detroit at -225 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Current streak: San Francisco has lost 2 straight games.

Team records: San Francisco: 46-36 SU Detroit: 44-38 SU

San Francisco most recently: When playing on Friday are 5-5 Before playing Detroit are 5-4 After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5 After a loss are 5-5

Detroit most recently: When playing on Friday are 3-7 Before playing San Francisco are 4-5 After playing NY Mets are 5-5 After a win are 3-7

A few trends to consider: San Francisco is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games The total has gone UNDER in 15 of San Francisco's last 22 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games on the road San Francisco is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco Detroit is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

Next up: Detroit home to San Francisco, Saturday, July 2

Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers