08/27/2008 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Millwood went the distance for the second straight time and Milton Bradley drove in a run to lead the Texas Rangers in a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the middle installment of a three-game set.
Millwood (8-7) gave up a run on nine hits while fanning a pair without issuing a walk over his time on the mound. Joaquin Arias and Brandon Boggs both scored for the Rangers, who have won their last two.
"I think at the end there's always adrenaline going when you're trying to close out a ballgame," said Millwood. "We battled all night long to get a 2-1 lead and I didn't want to let these guys down."
KC starter Zack Greinke lasted six frames and gave up an unearned run on four hits while fanning five and walking just one. Ramon Ramirez (2-2) absorbed the loss as he was touched for another unearned run on three hits in two innings of work. Miguel Olivo went 3-for-4 and knocked in the lone run for the Royals, who have dropped two in a row and nine of their last 10.
"When you're pitching good, sometimes things just keep working for you and you feel like it's just going to keep working," Greinke said of Millwood. "That's probably what he's feeling like for two games in a row."
The Rangers jumped on top for good in the eighth. Bradley led off with a walk, but was replaced on the base path by pinch-runner Boggs. Hank Blalock then reached on an infield single and botched the throw to first, allowing the runner to score and Blalock to move to second.
Texas assumed an early 1-0 lead as Arias led the game off by reaching on a throwing error by Mike Aviles. Michael Young singled and Josh Hamilton grounded out to move both runners into scoring position. Bradley then offered a sac fly to left to plate Arias.
KC knotted the contest up in the fifth frame. Billy Butler singled and two batters later Olivo doubled to left to bring him around and make it 1-1.
Game Notes
The Royals are a season-worst 20 games under .500...Time of game was 2:31...Texas has won six of eight from the Royals this season...KC committed two errors.
<< Ivanovic, Serena, Venus reach round two at the Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, former
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<< Braves score four in ninth, rally for win over Marlins
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yunel Escobar hit the game-winning RBI single
to cap off a four-run ninth and lift the Atlanta Braves over the Florida
Marlins, 10-9, in the first of a three-game set at Turner Field.
Omar Infante sco
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Anderson, who had been out since he left a game against the New York Giants on
August 18 with a concussion, made a brief appearan
Brewers' Durham leaves game >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Ray Durham
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Phils Coste into first place >>
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M's shock Twins >>
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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.
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