Thursday, October 10, 2013

“The Dirty Dozen” College Football Rankings Week 2

 

By Chris Dyer (Dirty)



Sorry for the late rollout of the article this week I have been sick and had some family issues to deal with midweek and just finished those. Last week was a wild one in college football and shed some more light on who the best teams in the nation are. So let us get right into it.


1. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) – Sure they only played Georgia State but could have scored 100 if they wanted to. Backups came out at the half and held serve. Don’t expect much of a game in Kentucky this weekend either. UK will stay close through the first quarter then it is over.


2. Clemson Tigers (4-0) – Clemson promptly goes into Syracuse and pulls out a can of whoopass to win 49-14 and the game wasn’t that close. They play Boston College this week and expect another name your score affair even with FSU on deck.


3. LSU Tigers (5-1) – LSU moves ahead of UGA in the poll because they are healthy. They promptly go into Starkville and destroy Mississippi State turning a close game in the middle of the 3rd quarter into a 59-26 shellacking. We will find out more about how strong this team is when the Florida Gators invade “Death Valley” Saturday night.


4. Stanford Cardinal (5-0) – They held of a very good Washington team this past weekend 31-28 but showed the grit I wanted to see when they got slapped in the mouth. We will see what they are made of this week if they have a letdown traveling to Utah in a letdown situation with UCLA the following week.
5. Florida State Seminoles (5-0) – I learned a lot about this team this past weekend thrashing the 25th ranked Maryland Terrapins 63-0. This team seems to be the real deal and they have an off week before traveling to Clemson to face the #2 Tigers on October 19th.


6. Oregon Ducks (5-0) – Oregon did what you expect quality teams to do. They go into Colorado and thrash the terrible Buffalos 57-16. It is hard to deny the talent but like I said last week the tell will be told when they play in a close game against a quality opponent and that could easily be this week when they travel to play the Washington Huskies in one of the most hostile environments in college football.


7. Georgia Bulldogs (4-1) – Georgia goes into Knoxville and plays without 3 starters as well as getting 4 more hurt against one of their most hated rivalries and comes out with a 34-31 win. Aaron Murray should be considered more for the Heisman as he is carrying this team right now with two starting receivers out and his top two running backs. UGA shows grit and is still a top 10 team but how guys step up with all these injuries will be the big question. They are a gritty team that shows the fire and attitude of their QB. If they can scrape out a win against a decent Mizzou team this weekend with all those guys hurt they may have a shot.


8. Texas A&M (4-1) – They were off last week and travel to play a dangerous Ole Miss team this weekend. With their sorry ass defense anything could happen. We know they will score points but the question remains can they stop anyone? Usually when that happens all it takes is a couple of turnovers on offense to cost you a game or two.


9. Louisville Cardinals (5-0) – They played a decent Temple team on the road last week and won 30-7. This team is just not ready to compete with the upper echelon as they should have waxed Temple and put up 50+ like the top teams in these ranking would have. They play Thursday night at home against Rutgers and they better play some D or they could be trouble if Bridgewater struggles in the least.


10. Miami (Fla) Hurricanes (5-0) – Miami defeated a good Georgia Tech team 45-30 on Saturday and the game was not as close as the score. I watched it all and this is a good football team. They have an explosive offense and a good defense. They are off this week and travel to North Carolina on the 17th on Thursday night football.


11. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) – Oklahoma beat a good TCU team at home 20-17 this past weekend. This team scares me and is a borderline top 12 team. The “Red River Rivalry” is this weekend against the Texas Longhorns and if they win this game decisively I will be sold they are better than they show.


12. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) – They barely hold off the Baylor Bears for the 12th spot this week. They go into Northwestern and barely escape with a win. They were up by 3 and got a pick 6 with time running out to seal this game. This team is in trouble once they play a team with a good offense. This may be the last week they are ranked in these rankings as I can’t be bought off like the media and coach’s poll voters can as they just want higher ranked teams playing each other for TV Dollars and ticket sales. They are off this week before playing Iowa at home on the 19th.


I expect lots to change over the next two weeks of this poll. Thanks guys and good luck with your wagers this weekend!!! Be back early next week with the 3rd edition.
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“The Dirty Dozen” College Football Rankings Week 2

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

“The Dirty Dozen” College Football Rankings Week 1

 

By Chris Dyer (Dirty)

Alright guys it is time for “The Dirty Dozen” college football rankings to start back up. Unlike the media and the coach’s polls I like to wait until after the last weekend of September to try to even try to start ranking college football teams. There are so many things that can happen during the offseason and early season, with injuries, to even think about saying who the best football team in the country is. Some teams play tough schedules and some play sisters of the blind the first few weeks of the season. At least by the 4th or 5th week all teams have played at least 1-2 quality opponents.

I limit it to the top 12 as that realistically is all that have a chance to play in BCS bowls and have a shot at the BCS Championship at any time in the season for the most part. The top 25 is just the media’s way of pumping mediocre football teams and keep the money train going. They have to say we have the 23rd Ranked “Jacklegs” against the 17th ranked “Hobnobbers” live from “Who Cares University” so they can make fan bases happy and sell television ads. Bottom line is teams outside the top 12 most likely will not play in a BCS Bowl or even New Year’s Day games unless they are in a weak conference with a tie-in. Those teams are most likely to by playing on the “Smurf Turf” in Boise or many other cities that have inconsequential bowl games are were created by ESPN just for the revenue TV brings. It is a good thing for us gamblers though as we have more football to watch and bet on.

Well let’s not waste any more time and lets delve into who I think are the top 12 teams in the nation.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) – They are 4-0 and coming off of back to back national titles. The game against Texas A&M, who some considered the 2nd best team in the SEC, was not as close as the score. Alabama made stupid defensive mistakes every time they got up by a couple of TD’s to keep A&M drives going. Until they are beaten they will sit atop of the perch. In the SEC it is hard to play quality football every quarter of every game. That is a sign of a great team when you can win easily when not playing your best football.

2. Clemson Tigers (4-0) – Taj Boyd and Sammy Watkins have Clemson poised to play for their first national championship since Danny Ford won one in 1981. They beat the SEC’s 2nd best team, UGA, 38-35 in the opening game of the season at home and Florida State and South Carolina are their only games left that should be in the top 12 when they play them. They have FSU at home and travel to Columbia to play “The Ole Ball Coach’s” Gamecocks. They have a good enough defense to hold teams at bay and if Boyd and Watkins stay healthy they will be playing for the BCS Title. The only team that could throw a monkey wrench in these plans is FSU at home on October 19th.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (3-1) – They would be #1 on the list if they had beaten Clemson. No team in the nation can lay claim to playing a tougher schedule than UGA as they have opened the season by playing 3 teams ranked in the top 10 and to come out of it 3-1 is impressive. They could have beaten Clemson if not for a couple of costly plays and I think those teams are pretty equal. They have a great running game with Gurley leading the way and a Heisman Candidate in Aaron Murray who is less than 200 yards from being the SEC’s all-time passing leader. Playing in the SEC always has landmines but the toughest part of the schedule is over and Florida is the only team that should give them a scare the rest of the way.

4. LSU Tigers (4-1) – LSU’s only blemish was the instant classic that was played this past Saturday to the Georgia Bulldogs. They lost 44-41 and could have won this game. They have beaten a good TCU team on the road and a mediocre Auburn team at home. They have an offense now that is wide open with Zach Mettenberger at the helm and a new offensive coordinator. Gone are the days of LSU winning 9-6 and dominating teams by defense. The defense is still there against most opponents (the talent against top tier teams now on offense great D’s are going to give up points) and will shut them down. They still have Florida and Texas A&M on the docket both at home and will need a lot of help to play for the BCS Championship as they will been the Tide to lose twice to make it to Atlanta and the SEC Championship. Bright spot is they Could sneak into the National Title game in place of the loser of the SEC Championship game if they are ranked ahead of other contenders and either UGA or Alabama.

5. Stanford Cardinal (4-0) – They are this low on the list at this time because they have played zero strong teams and some average teams this early in the season. We don’t really know how strong they are. They have dominated each and every week and play a physical type of football but the key is how are they going to react when they are challenged and get punched in the mouth? We know they handled it in years past but each year is totally different. I think the first 4 teams on the list all could play each other 10 times and you could easily have 5-5 records in each match up as they are that close. Stanford could be that good but I can’t realistically say that right now. They just aren’t beating teams as bad as they should. Beating Army 34-20 and San Jose State 34-13 is not what you would expect. Arizona State and Stanford have always played each other tough. What will tell the tale on this version of the Cardinal will be how they handle Washington

UCLA and Oregon when they play? All games are at home and the Washington game is this Saturday.

6. Oregon Ducks (4-0) - Oregon sure does look impressive beating terrible teams like Nichols State, Virginia, California and Colorado and a Mediocre Tennessee team. That is the problem. They have played no one. Top teams are expected to win those game by 40+ points. They have the talent, but the main question for me is how will losing Chip Kelly matter when they finally play in a close game. That will happen in two weeks when they travel to Washington then maybe they will move up in the rankings.

7. Texas A&M (4-1) - This team is the 4th best team in the SEC just because they can’t stop anyone. They have one of the top offenses in the nation (so do Bama, UGA and LSU) but their defense doesn’t stack up to the rest. This past weekend I watched as they let the depleted Arkansas Razorbacks run roughshod over them and it was a 3 point game until midway thru the 4th quarter. Arkansas just made crucial unforced mistakes that turned the tide. Their D gave up 31 to Rice, 28 to Sam Houston State, and 33 to Arkansas and those teams have far from explosive offenses. They still have to go to Ole Miss then play Vandy at home and travel to LSU and Mizzou. Unless the defense improves a ton they may lose 2-3 of those games. They get 7 by default because their offense is so good and their schedule has been stronger than the others on the list.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) - Bob Stoops has his team back in the top 10 again and undefeated this year. They have played a decent schedule and they have beaten a good West Virginia team at home 16-7 and went on the road and beat a good Notre Dame team easily for the first time since 1956. They also manhandled La-Monroe and Tulsa. We will find more about the Sooners the next two weeks as they play TCU and Texas at home but the real test will come November 7th when the travel to Baylor. Will Stoops lose a game this year he is supposed to win like almost every year? Most likely and that will be the one.

9. Ohio State (5-0) - Urban Meyer has his team poised to go Undefeated again this year but the problem is the Big 11 is so weak and their out of conference schedule is god awful. Buffalo, San Diego State and Florida A&M. Are you kidding me? They struggled to beat the worst Wisconsin team in 20 years this past weekend and play a good Northwestern team on the road this weekend so we will find more out about them. If they make past the Wildcats then they shouldn’t be tested again until they play Michigan in “The Big House” to end the season. Braxton Miller and company can run up great stats against bad teams so let’s see what they do when they play someone.

10. Louisville Cardinals (4-0) - Teddy Bridgewater is a Heisman candidate and is putting up some gaudy stats but so far it is against terrible opponents except Kentucky. Charlie Strong has this team in a great position and they have the potential be undefeated at the end of the season. They should be when they play Cincinnati on the road to end the season. Can they crash the BCS party the year before they jump to the ACC?

11. Florida State Seminoles (4-0) - Jimbo Fisher has FSU looking like they did in their heyday under the coaching legend Bobby Bowden. They have been on the verge the last couple of years but injuries have derailed them. This is a very good team, the best team they have had in a decade at least. They have a great defense as usual and quality players at all key positions. The problem is they haven’t played anyone yet so we don’t know how strong they really are. They slapped Pitt around to open the season but Pitt is a bad football team and the schedule hasn’t gotten any better. October 19th at Clemson will let us know all we need to know about his edition of the Seminoles.

12. UCLA Bruins (3-0) – Jim Mora is doing at UCLA what no one has been able to do since Terry Donahue 20+ years ago. He is recruiting and he is winning. They have drilled a mediocre Nevada team and a good Nebraska team on the road. Their biggest test of the year though and will be the measuring stick of how far this team has come is at Stanford on October 19th and Oregon on October 26th. If they can split those games this team could crash the BCS party.

I will be back Next Monday with week 2 of “The Dirty Dozen”. Let me know what you think and let’s get some good discussion going on this.

“The Dirty Dozen” College Football Rankings Week 1

NCAA Football Week 6 Odds

 

We are entering Week 6 of the College Football season. The featured game of the week is in the Big Ten, as No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 16 Northwestern on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on ABC. According to the oddsmakers at America's Bookie, Ohio State is a 5-point favorite and the total has not been set. Ohio State is 5-0 this season, including 1-0 on the road and 3-1-1 ATS. Northwestern is 4-0 overall, including 3-0 at home and 2-2 ATS. Ohio State has won and covered the spread in their last four meetings with Northwestern.

The other featured game of the week has No. 15 Washington visiting No. 5 Stanford next Saturday at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN. According to the oddsmakers at America's Bookie, Stanford is a 6½-point favorite and the total has not been set. Washington is 4-0 overall, 1-0 on the road and 3-1 ATS. Stanford comes into the game with a 4-0 record, including 2-0 at home and 2-2 ATS. Stanford has won and covered the spread in four of their last five meetings with Washington.

Here are the NCAA Football Lines at America's Bookie.

Thursday, October 3

Texas -7½
Iowa State

Over/Under

Western Kentucky -5½
Louisiana Monroe

Over/Under

UCLA -4
Utah

Over/Under

Friday, October 4

BYU +6½
Utah State

Over/Under

Nevada +4½
San Diego State

Over/Under

Saturday, October 5

Air Force N/A
Navy

Over/Under

Michigan State +1½
Iowa

Over/Under

Louisville -33½
Temple

Over/Under

Western Michigan +20
Toledo

Over/Under

Eastern Michigan +13½
Buffalo

Over/Under

Georgia State
Alabama

Over/Under

Army +11½
Boston College

Over/Under

Central Michigan -3
Miami Ohio

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Ball State +5½
Virginia

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Maryland +14½
Florida State

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Georgia Tech N/A
Miami

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Clemson -12½
Syracuse

Over/Under

North Carolina State -9
Wake Forest

Over/Under

Illinois +10½
Nebraska

Over/Under

Texas San Antonio +14
Marshall

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North Texas -2½
Tulane

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Oregon N/A
Colorado

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Georgia -10½
Tennessee

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Arkansas +10½
Florida

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LSU -9½
Mississippi State

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Rice +3
Tulsa

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North Carolina +7½
Virginia Tech

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TCU +10½
Oklahoma

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Cincinnati -11½
South Florida

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Kansas State +14½
Oklahoma State

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Missouri +2½
Vanderbilt

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Minnesota +20
Michigan

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Central Florida -10½
Memphis

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Rutgers -6½
Southern Methodist

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Fresno State -25
Idaho

Over/Under

Texas State +10
Louisiana Lafayette

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South Alabama +3
Troy

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New Mexico State +8½
New Mexico

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Washington State N/A
California

Over/Under

Washington +6½
Stanford

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Northern Illinois -9
Kent State

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Mississippi -2½
Auburn

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Kentucky +21
South Carolina

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FIU +15½
Southern Mississippi

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Massachusetts +25
Bowling Green

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Florida Atlantic +3½
UAB

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Texas Tech N/A
Kansas

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East Carolina -7½
Middle Tennessee

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Ohio -6
Akron

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Arizona State -5½
Notre Dame

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West Virginia +27
Baylor

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Louisiana Tech -1
UTEP

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Ohio State -5
Northwestern

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Penn State -3½
Indiana

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San Jose State -4½
Hawaii

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NCAA Football Week 6 Odds

NL Wild Card Game: Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview



The Pirates will play in their first postseason game in 21 years when they host the Reds in the National League Wild Card game. The Pirates secured home field advantage by sweeping a three-game series in Cincinnati and the winner of this game meets the Cardinals in the divisional round. The Reds are in the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, but struggled down the stretch with five consecutive losses to match a season-worst skid.

The Reds planned to start Mat Latos but scratched him due to elbow soreness and will instead go with Johnny Cueto, who is 8-2 with a 1.91 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 13 career starts at PNC Park. The Pirates opted for Francisco Liriano, who struggled against the Reds this season with an 0-3 record and a 3.70 ERA in four starts. Andrew McCutchen (.317 batting average, 21 home runs, 84 RBIs and 27 stolen bases) had an MVP-caliber season while Joey Votto (.306 batting average, 24 home runs, 73 RBIs) set a franchise record by reaching base 316 times.

The Pirates won the season series 11-8, including a 5-4 record at home.

According to the oddsmakers at BetAnySports, the Reds are at +120, the Pirates are at -130 and the total is set at 6½.

Pitching Matchup:

Johnny Cueto (5-2, 2.82 ERA) vs. Francisco Liriano (16-8, 3.02 ERA)


Johnny Cueto has been outstanding in two starts since returning from an injury and has allowed one earned run and eight hits in 12 innings. Cueto blanked the Pirates on one hit over eight innings on May 31 and then went on the disabled list for the second of three times this season. He is 13-4 with a 2.37 ERA in 21 career starts against the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen is batting .231 with three home runs in 39 career at-bats against Cueto.

Francisco Liriano has been dominant at home, going 8-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 11 outings. Though Liriano set a career best for victories, he struggled in September with a 1-2 record and a 5.14 ERA in five starts. The left-hander had a sharp outing against the Reds on September 20 when he gave up two runs and three hits in eight innings while receiving a no-decision. Joey Votto is 2-for-10 against Liriano.

Game information:

8:07 PM ET, October 1

PNC Park

Coverage: TBS

81° F/ 27° C
Clear


NL Wild Card Game: Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview

Monday, September 30, 2013

AL Wild Card One-Game Tiebreaker: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers Preview



The Rays visit the Rangers in Game 163, a must-win scenario for both teams if they wish to advance to a second must-win situation. The Rays and the Rangers tied for the second American League Wild Card spot and will break the tie for the right to meet the Indians in Wednesday's Wild Card game. The Rangers have won seven straight games and the Rays have won eight of their last 10 contests.

David Price will start against rookie Martin Perez and the Rangers announced that outfielder Nelson Cruz will be activated for this game. Cruz's 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs ended yesterday and he has fared well against Price, going 6-for-12 with two home runs against him.

The Rangers earned the right to host this game because they won the regular season series 4-3. The teams split a four-game series in mid-September.

According to the oddsmakers at America's Bookie, the Rays are at -117, the Rangers are at +107 and the total is set at 7½. Here you can check the daily MLB Baseball Betting Lines at America's Bookie.

Pitching Matchup:

David Price (9-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Martin Perez (10-5, 3.55 ERA)


David Price didn't face the Rangers this season but he has traditionally struggled against them, going 1-4 with a 5.98 ERA in eight career outings. After outstanding performances in July and August, Price was 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA in five September starts. The left-hander has pitched at least seven innings in four of his last six starts. Alex Rios is batting .435 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 23 career at-bats against Price.

Martin Perez won seven of his last nine decisions as one of the Rangers' most reliable starters over the second half of the season. Perez didn't face the Rays this season and in his lone career outing against them last season he threw five innings and gave up two runs and seven hits. The left-hander has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 11 starts.

Game information:

8:07 PM ET, September 30

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Coverage: TBS

81° F/ 27° C
Clear 

AL Wild Card One-Game Tiebreaker: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers Preview

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Texas Rangers (83-70) vs. Kansas City Royals (81-72) Preview

 

The Rangers visit the Royals in the second contest of a three-game series. The Royals' 2-1 win in the opener put them 2½ games behind the Indians for the second Wild Card, while the Rangers slipped one-half game off the pace. The Rangers have now lost 12 of their last 15 games while the Royals have won eight of their last 12.

The Royals have won 81 games to assure a string of nine consecutive losing seasons will end. Closer Greg Holland is one of reason why the Royals will have a winning season. Holland converted his 44th save in the series opener to move one shy of the franchise record shared by Dan Quisenberry (1983) and Jeff Montgomery (1993).

According to the oddsmakers at BetAnySports, the Rangers are at -108, the Royals are at -102 and the total is set at 7½.

Pitching Matchup:

Matt Garza (3-5, 4.94 ERA) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (14-11, 4.08 ERA)


Matt Garza is 0-4 over his last five starts and hasn't been the type of pitcher the Rangers hoped when they acquired him from the Cubs. Garza has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his last nine outings and gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Rays in his last start. The right-hander is 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in three September starts. Billy Butler is 8-for-20 against him.

Jeremy Guthrie lost to the Tigers in his last outing, when he gave up three runs and a season high-tying 13 hits in eight innings. It was his fourth loss in sixth decisions since tossing a four-hit shutout against the Twins on Auguts 5. Guthrie, who is 9-4 at home, has allowed just nine home runs in 15 starts at Kauffman Stadium but 19 in 16 road outings. Elvis Andrus is batting .471 in 17 at-bats against him while A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .361 in 36 at-bats.

Game information:

7:10 PM ET, September 21, 2013

Kauffman Stadium

68° F/ 20° C
Clear

Texas Rangers (83-70) vs. Kansas City Royals (81-72) Preview

Friday, September 20, 2013

Podcast with Frank Benjamin of OddsOnBetting -- Weekend Action and Talk about ATB

 


ATB Poster Frank and I had a great podcast today and he just got it edited and posted and wanted me to share it. Frank is very knowledgeable about sports and has a great website. I have known him for 14 years from the old freewinners.com days many of the forum people came from (General, Spooky, pvcpipe, mofome, Bobalou, just to name a few off the top of my head). It was a breeding ground of great posters who moved on to other things. Frank Recently named ATB as one of the top 3 sports forums on the internet. If you haven't read the article you can do so by clicking here.

We had a good informative podcast today and had a lot of fun. I am sure you will enjoy it. We went over some info for this weekends games and gave out some winners. Talked about the future of ATB and what to expect as well.

Let us know how we did. And feel free to discuss here.

Podcast with Frank Benjamin of OddsOnBetting -- Weekend Action and Talk about ATB

Texas Rangers (83-69) vs. Kansas City Royals (80-72) Preview

 

The Rangers begin a critical three-game series against the Royals. After losing seven straight games to fall into an intense Wild Card race, the Rangers took two of the final three games in Tampa Bay, capped by an 8-2 rout last night that featured four home runs. The win allowed them to tie the Rays atop the Wild Card standings, with the Indians sitting a half-game behind them.

Should any of those teams slip, the Royals are waiting to surpass them. The Royals are coming off a series win over the Indians and sit three games behind the Rangers and Rays as they open their final home series. Billy Butler is 20-for-42 (.476) in his last 11 home games. The Rangers won two of three against the Royals at home earlier this year.

According to the oddsmakers at America's Bookie, the Rangers are at +125, the Royals are -135 and the total is set at 7½. Here you can check the daily MLB Baseball Betting Lines at America's Bookie.

Pitching Matchup:

Martin Perez (9-5, 3.64 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (9-9, 3.23 ERA)


Martin Perez has lost his last two starts while giving up seven runs and 16 hits in 11 1/3 innings. The left-hander is 7-2 on the road despite having a 4.04 ERA that is nearly a run higher than it is at home (3.07). Perez has never faced the Royals.

Ervin Santana limited the Tigers to just five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday, picking up his first win since August 4 and matching his career high for quality starts with his 22nd. Santana has a chance to reach 10 wins for the sixth time in his career and needs just 2 1/3 innings to amass 200 in a season for the fifth time. The right-hander has a 5.79 ERA in 28 career starts against the Rangers but held them to one unearned run in seven innings on June 2 in his only meeting with them this season. Ian Kinsler is 19-for-54 (.352) with eight extra-base hits in his career against Santana.

Game information:

8:10 PM ET, September 20, 2013

Kauffman Stadium

68° F/ 20° C
Clear

Texas Rangers (83-69) vs. Kansas City Royals (80-72) Preview

Baltimore Orioles (81-71) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (83-69) Preview



The Orioles open a crucial four-game series against the Rays, as both teams fight for a Wild Card spot. The Orioles and the Rays lost series finales last night. The Rays are tied with the Rangers atop the Wild Card standings and the Orioles are two games back with 10 games to play. The Indians sit between them, just a half-game behind the Rays and the Rangers.

The Rays have lost seven of their last 11 home games following last night's 8-2 loss to the Rangers; however, they are 7-2 in their last nine games against the Orioles. The Rays are 11-for-81 (.136) with runners in scoring position in their last 12 losses. The Orioles took the first two games in Boston before being shut down by John Lackey last night, managing just two hits in a 3-1 setback.

According to the oddsmakers at BetAnySports, the Orioles are at +164, the Rays are at -174 and the total is set at 7.

Pitching Matchup:

Jason Hammel (7-8, 5.12 ERA) vs. David Price (8-8, 3.42 ERA)


Jason Hammel is winless since May 27, going 0-6 with five no-decisions in 11 starts during that span, which also included over a month in the disabled list with a forearm injury. Hammel has just three quality starts in that stretch, including one at Tampa Bay on June 7 when he allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings during a tough 2-1 loss. The right-hander gave up three runs and three hits in five innings at Toronto last Friday.

David Price has lost three straight decisions, tied for the longest losing streak of his career, although it can be attributed to poor run support. The left-hander received a no-decision in a 6-4 loss at Minnesota on Sunday after giving up two runs in 6 1/3 innings. Price is 7-2 in 15 career starts with a 2.65 ERA against the Orioles and is 1-0 in three outings this season. Danny Valencia is 9-for-12 with three walks in 15 plate appearances against him.

Game information:

7:10 PM ET, September 20

Tropicana Field

Coverage: SUN

83° F/ 28° C
Thunderstorm

Baltimore Orioles (81-71) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (83-69) Preview

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Baltimore Ravens (0-0) vs. Denver Broncos (0-0) Preview



The Broncos have had nearly eight months to overcome their stunning season-ending loss in January, one that extended the Ravens' surprising run to a Super Bowl championship. Now the Broncos have a chance to exact some revenge when they host the Ravens in the NFL season opener. Super Bowl champions usually open the season at home but the Ravens had a scheduling issue with the Orioles, who play Thursday night at Camden Yards. Peyton Manning had won nine straight games against the Ravens, including a 17-point rout a month earlier, before the Ravens' 38-35 double-overtime playoff victory.

Much has changed for both teams since Joe Flacco averted a certain defeat with a 70-yard tying touchdown strike to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds to play in regulation. The Ravens undergone a dramatic roster overhaul, with future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis retiring, perennial Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed lost to the Texans via free agency and the trade of Super Bowl hero Anquan Boldin to the 49ers. Flacco became the league's highest-paid player while the Broncos added some key pieces to fortify Manning's offense.

Joe Flacco's regular season numbers were ordinary (3,817 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) but he was off the charts in the postseason with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions en route to winning Super Bowl MVP honors.

Torrey Smith heads an inexperienced receiving corps that suffered a jolt when starting tight end Dennis Pitta dislocated his hip, putting his season in jeopardy. Ray Rice has rushed for at least 1,143 yards in four straight seasons and leads all NFL running backs with 278 receptions during that span. The defending champions have question marks on a defense that surrendered nearly five points more per game last year than in the previous season.

Peyton Manning guided the Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the postseason and 11 consecutive wins to close the regular season after sitting out 2011 due to multiple neck surgeries. Manning's 37 touchdown passes and 4.659 yards last season were both the second-highest totals of his storied career.

Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both went over 1,000 yards and combined for 179 catches and 23 touchdowns and will be joined by Wes Welker, who had at least 111 catches in five of six seasons with the Patriots. Rookie running back Montee Ball set the FBS record for career touchdowns but will open the season as the backup to Ronnie Hillman. The Broncos also have a huge void to plug on defense after Von Miller was suspended six games for violating the league's drug policy.

Game Information:

When: 8:30 PM ET, September 5

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile Hig

Line: Broncos -7½ at America's Bookie

Total: 48½

Coverage: NBC

Weather: 86° F/ 30° C
Chance of a Thunderstorm

Last meeting: 1/12/13 Ravens 38 Broncos 35

Trends:

- The Ravens are 4-2 ATS as an underdog of 3½ to 9½ points over the last 3 seasons

- The Ravens are 7-4 ATS as an underdog over the last 3 seasons

- The Ravens are 1-4 ATS when playing on a Thursday since 1993

- The Broncos are 7-1 ATS as a favorite of 3½ to 9½ points over the last 3 seasons

- The Broncos are 11-6 ATS as a favorite over the last 3 seasons

- The Broncos are 15-11 ATS against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons


Baltimore Ravens (0-0) vs. Denver Broncos (0-0) Preview