Jimenez goes for win No. 16 in south Florida
Baseball Betting Lines
07/19/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Rockies and Marlins have struggled on offense in
the second half. Given Tuesday's pitching matchup, neither team is likely to
break out at the plate on Monday night.
National League All-Star starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who seeks a career-high 16th
victory tonight, resumes his season for Colorado in the opener of a four-game
series versus Anibal Sanchez and the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.
The Rockies and Marlins are both coming off 1-0 victories on Sunday and
neither team has scored more than two runs in a game since the All-Star break.
Florida took two of three from Washington despite scoring just three runs in
the series, kicking off a 10-game homestand. Emilio Bonifacio doubled in the
fifth inning and scored the game's lone run when Gaby Sanchez hit a two-base
hit of his own.
That was enough to give the Marlins their fourth win in six games and hand
Alex Sanabia his first major league victory. The 21-year-old rookie hurled 5
1/3 scoreless innings, working around four hits and two walks while striking
out five. Leo Nunez recorded his 22nd save of the year to cap the victory.
"It's exciting," Sanabia said about winning his first big league game. "Today
was real special; got a win and the team a win. It worked out perfectly."
Colorado, meanwhile, posted just four runs over the weekend versus Cincinnati
and avoided a three-game sweep with Sunday's triumph. Chris Iannetta hit a
solo homer in the sixth inning to back seven scoreless innings from Aaron
Cook, who gave up six hits en route to winning his first road start of the
season.
"It was definitely an important game. For us, we get out of here with at least
one win and go to Florida and hope we can get on a roll from here," said Cook,
who retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced.
Huston Street notched his sixth save of the season to help the Rockies snap a
three-game slide and remain four games back of the first-place Padres in the
NL West. Colorado's set in Ohio kicked of an 11-game road trip.
The Rockies should feel great about their chances tonight with Jimenez set to
take the mound. The right-hander won his final start before the break, besting
the Cardinals on July 8 with eight innings of one-run, three-hit ball to carry
a 15-1 record and 2.20 earned run average into the hiatus. It was an important
victory for Jimenez, who had allowed 17 runs over his previous three outings.
Still, he leads the majors in victories and is the first NL pitcher to notch
15 wins before the All-Star break since Greg Maddux in 1988.
The 26-year-old, who hasn't lost since May 9, then started last Tuesday's All-
Star Game in Anaheim and hurled two scoreless innings, working around two hits
and a walk while throwing 15 of his 25 pitches for strikes.
"I was trying to slow down, trying to relax," Jimenez told MLB.com. "It was a
challenge. I like to throw hard, especially in a game like this, with so many
people in the stands, but I was able to control myself."
Jimenez is 9-1 with a 1.23 ERA in 10 road starts this season and 1-1 with a
1.80 ERA in two career starts versus the Marlins. He has given up just two
earned runs in 10 innings against them, striking out 15.
Sanchez, meanwhile, will make his career-high 18th start of the season
tonight, surpassing the 17 he made as a rookie in 2006 during a solid 10-3
campaign. He is 7-6 with a 3.66 ERA this year, but lost his final two starts
before the break while allowing nine earned runs over 10 innings.
The 26-year-old righty lasted just four innings versus the Diamondbacks on
July 8, getting charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits.
Sanchez has been tough at home, where he is 3-2 with a solid 2.50 ERA in eight
starts. He has also beaten the Rockies in his only other start against them,
holding the club to two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 12-2 triumph
on July 31, 2008.
The Rockies took two of three from the Marlins at home from April 24-25.
<< Phillies aiming to get on track against first-place Cardinals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have handled the St. Louis
Cardinals pretty conveniently the past few years. That may change when the
struggling Phils pay a visit to Busch Stadium Monday for the first of four
consecutive matchups w
<< Cubs hope to stay hot versus Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The confidence level in the Windy City has to be high after
how easily the Chicago Cubs handled the two-time defending National League
champion Philadelphia Phillies this weekend at Wrigley Field.
Chicago's chances of keep
<< Oosthuizen soars to 15th in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louis Oosthuizen parlayed his first major
championship victory into a huge jump in the world rankings.
Oosthuizen cruised to a seven-stroke win at the British Open this past weekend
and jumped 39 places f
<< Nats try to get bats going against Reds' Cueto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggles on offense cost the Washington Nationals the
chance to open the second half with a three-game sweep. Chances at the plate
could be hard to come by again tonight against the Cincinnati Reds' Johnny
Cueto.
<< Indians hope to continue to play spoiler in Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians may have little hope of finishing
in first place in the American League Central, but they've done a fine job of
hurting the postseason chances of some of the division's top teams as of late.
Riding
Dodgers head home to face Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting swept in four games at St. Louis over the
weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers are back at home and will try to regroup in
tonight's opener of a three-game set versus the NL West-rival San Francisco
Giants at Chavez
Mets' Pelfrey seeks turnaround against Diamondbacks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After winning 10 of his first 15 starts of the season, New
York Mets right-hander Mike Pelfrey has fallen on hard times. Pelfrey will try
to bounce back when he takes the mound Monday in the opener of a three-game
series agai
Pirates, Brewers renew rivalry in Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off perhaps their most
complete victory of the season. They'll need that momentum given their
struggles versus the Milwaukee Brewers this season.
The Pirates will try to snap a
Mitchell and Krystkowiak join Avery Johnson in Jersey >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NBA head coaches Sam Mitchell
and Larry Krystkowiak have been named assistants for Avery Johnson with the
New Jersey Nets.
John Loyer, Popeye Jones and Tom Barrise were also named to Johnso
Breakers claim third successive win >>
Cambridge, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Breakers earned their third
straight win on Sunday as they downed the Washington Freedom, 2-1, at Harvard
Stadium.
The Freedom took the lead just two minutes into the game through N
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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