Rookie hurlers face off in Anaheim

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will take to the field this evening, as they host the Baltimore Orioles in the second matchup of a three-game stint at Angel Stadium.

Sean O'Sullivan has been a solid fill in for an Angels rotation that has been depleted by injuries. O'Sullivan has made three starts since being called up to the majors, and in those outings he has complied a 2-0 mark with a 3.00 earned run average.

The last time the right-hander was on the hill he tossed six solid innings against Texas, surrendering just two runs on six hits, while also striking out five batters.

The Orioles will turn to their own rookie pitcher when they send Jason Berken to the rubber. Berken won his season debut, but since then the right-hander has lost five of his last six starts.

The last time Berken was on the hill he allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings of work against Boston.

On Friday, Aubrey Huff went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, as Baltimore hung on to edge the Angels, 6-4. Luke Scott stroked a two-run double for the Orioles, who won for just the second time in their last six tries.

Nick Markakis went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

David Hernandez (2-2) lasted 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks to collect his second win in his fourth start in the majors. George Sherrill picked up his 18th save of the year.

"Impressive. He was throwing strikes and used all his pitches really well. He commanded his fastball and showed great poise," Orioles manager David Trembley said about Hernandez.

Kendry Morales belted a two-run homer for the Angels, who have dropped three of their last four. Maicer Izturis went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Vladimir Guerrero drove in the other run for Los Angeles, which won, 5-2, in the opener of the series on Thursday.

Ervin Santana (1-4) went five frames, allowing six runs -- four earned -- on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks to take the loss for LA. Santana was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game.

"I felt good. My location was okay, but I made a few mistakes. My arm felt good, but I just want to win," Santana said.

The Angels swept a two-game series from the Orioles at Camden Yards back in April and went 6-3 against Baltimore last season. The O's are just 5-13 in Anaheim since the start of the 2006 campaign.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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