Rangers open second half with series win at Boston

Baseball Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Wilson struck out a career-high 10 in 6 2/3 effective innings, and the Texas Rangers won a four-game series in Boston for the first time in 15 years with a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox.

Wilson (8-5) allowed just one run on three hits and five walks to earn only his second road win of the season, although both have come in Boston.

Elvis Andrus had three hits and scored a run, while Nelson Cruz went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Rangers, who won three games in this series to take a four-game set at Fenway for the first time since July 13-16, 1995.

Neftali Feliz earned his 24th save.

Mike Cameron homered for the third time in six games, but the Red Sox lost for the eighth time in 11 games to weaken their position in the three-team AL East playoff chase. Jon Lester (11-4) had his six-game home win streak snapped after yielding four runs -- three earned -- on nine hits and three walks while fanning six in eight innings.

Facing a three-run deficit in the ninth, Boston threatened to get back into the contest.

Cameron greeted Feliz with a homer over the Green Monster for a 4-2 game, and Bill Hall reached when his slow ground ball up the middle wasn't handled by second baseman Ian Kinsler. Feliz, though, settled down to strike out Kevin Cash and J.D. Drew before getting Marco Scutaro to line out to shortstop to end the game.

The Red Sox grabbed the lead in the second on Adrian Beltre's RBI double, but the Rangers went ahead for good in the fourth.

Lester retired the first two batters of the inning, but Josh Hamilton singled to left to send Cruz to the plate. Cruz doubled to left, scoring Hamilton ahead of the throw, and Cruz attempted to take third. Catcher Dustin Brown quickly fired to third, but Beltre couldn't come up with the throw, allowing Cruz to score easily as the ball bounced away for a 2-1 lead.

With runners on the corners and one out in the fifth, Texas executed a perfect double steal to add another run. Andrus drew a throw to second as Michael Young struck out, and Julio Borbon crossed the plate on the play for a two-run advantage.

Meanwhile, Wilson didn't allow a runner past first in the third, fourth or fifth before Scutaro led off the home sixth with a double. Wilson, though, retired three of the next four hitters -- issuing a two-out walk to Kevin Youkilis before striking out Beltre to end the inning.

After Wilson's outing ended in the seventh, Darren O'Day escaped the inning without any trouble, and the Rangers added an insurance run in the eighth on Kinsler's RBI single. Andrus was called safe on a close play at the plate, much to the dismay of the Boston crowd.

Game Notes

The Rangers' Vladimir Guerrero started in left field for the first time in his career. The only other times he has played that position as a professional came in the 2000 and 2006 All-Star Games...Texas leads the season series, 4-3...The Rangers have won 12 of their last 15 road games...O'Day has a 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak over his last 19 outings...Despite the series win, Texas is only 17-44 in Boston since 1998...The Red Sox will begin a 10-game road trip against the three other AL West teams starting on Monday...Lester last lost a home start on April 18...The Red Sox sold out Fenway Park on Sunday, marking the 600th consecutive sellout at the stadium, dating back to 2003 -- a franchise record.

Casinobaccarat Baseball Betting News

<< Jays complete sweep of O's in grand fashion
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yunel Escobar, in his third game with Toronto, hit his first-career grand slam, as the Blue Jays dominated the Baltimore Orioles, 10-1, to complete a three-game sweep at Camden Yards. Escobar,

<< Maholm blanks Astros as Pirates bang out 19 hits
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Maholm twirled a three-hit shutout to pitch Pittsburgh past Houston, 9-0, and finish off a three-game set at PNC Park. Maholm (6-7) did not walk a batter, struck out one and did not allow a runne

<< Gainey gets second win on Nationwide Tour
Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Gainey posted a three-under 69 on Sunday, but it was more than enough to cruise to victory at the Chiquita Classic. Gainey finished at 27-under 261 and won by three strokes at the TPC Riv

<< Iannetta, Cook help Rockies avoid sweep
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta's solo home run in the sixth allowed seven strong innings by Aaron Cook to hold up in a 1-0 Rockies win against the Reds to avert a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park. Cook (4-

<< Sanabia picks up first MLB win as Marlins edge Nats
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaby Sanchez hit a run-scoring double and Alex Sanabia picked up his first major league victory, as the Florida Marlins edged the Washington Nationals, 1-0, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Sun Life St

Yankees overcome Pettitte injury to take series with Rays >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each drove in two runs, and New York cobbled together 6 2/3 innings from its bullpen to come from behind and down Tampa Bay, 9-5, in the rubber match of a three-g

A's use home runs to sweep Royals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Rosales, Jack Cust and Kevin Kouzmanoff each homered, as the Oakland Athletics held off the Kansas City Royals, 9-6, to complete a three-game series sweep at Kauffman Stadium. Cliff Penn

Tolliver cruises to American Century Championship title >>
Tahoe, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Billy Joe Tolliver, the former NFL quarterback, collected 26 points on Sunday to easily cruise to a record-setting victory at the American Century Championship. Tolliver finished with 84 points, which is a tou

Twins rally for ninth inning comeback win >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young's bases loaded run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning brought in two with the help of a throwing error by Alex Rios, as the Minnesota Twins scored four runs in the inning

McCann's grand slam helps Braves down Brewers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian McCann hit his sixth career grand slam and drove in five to lead the Braves in an 11-6 win and split of a four-game series with Milwaukee at Turner Field. Matt Diaz also homered, knocked in three

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.