Peavy, Padres aim to get back on track against Phillies

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jake Peavy will try for his first win in over a month when his San Diego Padres conclude a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon at Petco Park.

Peavy's last victory came on June 19 against Baltimore, and the right-hander has gone 0-3 in four starts since. Peavy dropped two of his three starts prior to the All-Star game -- allowing three runs in each of the two setbacks -- before falling to 9-4 on the year with a defeat at the hands of the Mets on Tuesday.

Against New York, the right-hander was again tagged for three runs on six hits over six innings of a 7-0 loss, lifting his earned run average to 2.30 that is still second best in the majors.

Peavy, who is also tops in the National League with 130 strikeouts, is 2-1 in four career starts against the Phillies with a 2.60 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.

The All-Star starter will hope to fair better than David Wells, who was tagged for seven runs on seven hits in just 4 1/3 innings of the Padres' 12-4 setback to the Phillies on Saturday.

Milton Bradley hit a two-run homer as San Diego lost its second straight game and fell one game behind the Dodgers, who downed the Mets yesterday, for first place in the National League West.

Ryan Howard went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in Philadelphia's rout. Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs and Carlos Ruiz each had two RBI for the Phillies, who have won two straight after losing their previous two.

Jamie Moyer (8-8) snapped a personal three-game losing streak as he gave up four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.

The third-place Phillies currently trail the Mets by five games for the top spot in the NL East.

Hoping for another offensive explosion, J.D. Durbin will take the hill today for the Phillies coming off his first career victory. That win came on Tuesday when Durbin tossed six innings of one-run ball, working around six hits and two walks in a 15-3 rout of the Dodgers.

Durbin is playing with his fourth team this year -- he was released by Minnesota, Arizona and Boston -- and will make just his fourth big league start this afternoon and third with the Phillies.

The right-hander is 1-2 on the season with a 9.00 ERA. That includes a one- game stint with the Diamondbacks in which he allowed seven runs in just two- thirds of an inning back on April 4.

San Diego and Philadelphia are meeting for the first time with this series since the Padres won four of six games during the 2006 campaign. The Phillies, though, are 15-6 in their last 21 matchups with San Diego.

Wfodors Baseball Betting News

<< Unpack your bags: Rockies conclude road swing against Nats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies will try to end their road trip on a positive note when they play the final contest of a four-game series this afternoon with the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium. The Rockies have lost two of three

<< Giants, Brewers wrap anticipated set in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers will get one last look at Barry Bonds at home this season when they try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants this afternoon at Miller Park. The Brewers came into this s

<< Byrd is the word: Rangers try for split with Indians
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having snapped a three-game slide on Saturday, the Texas Rangers close out a four-game set against the Cleveland Indians tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Marlon Byrd erupted for five RBI, matching a career-high, a

<< Pirates wrap set with Astros at PNC Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros conclude a nine-game road trip this afternoon when they play the rubber match of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. On Saturday, Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche both drove in two run

<< Byrd, Rangers best Indians
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marlon Byrd matched his career high with five RBI as the Texas Rangers beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-5, in the third of a four-game set at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Byrd had a two-run double in th

Dodgers go for split with Mets in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try for a series split with the New York Mets, and maintain their new lead in the National League West, when the two clubs wrap their four-game series this afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Thanks

Cincinnati ends road trip in Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds will conclude their 11-game road trip this afternoon when they also wrap a four-game set with the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. Bronson Arroyo appears to be righting the ship to his season and wil

Braves conclude homestand versus Cardinals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves will attempt to wrap their 10-game homestand with a winning record tonight when they conclude a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Turner Field. Atlanta has taken two of the first three gam

Miyazato, Lee to battle for Match Play title >>
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato cruised to a 3 & 2 win over Maria Hjorth on Sunday to advance to the final at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship. Miyazato, the 12th seed, moves on to face 22nd-seed Seon Hwa Le

Darcis wins first ATP final at Dutch Open >>
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis upended unseeded Werner Eschauer of Austria in straight sets Sunday to win the Dutch Open title. It was the first career ATP championship for Darcis who came fr

MySportsbook.com is a must-have for the smart veteran sports investor who enjoys following the odds almost as much as betting them. Simply put, no one offers more betting options and offers them faster than MySportsbook. This football sportsbook is known for its ability to set the early market odds on events without having to worry about weak lines. Professional players are well aware that getting a crack at the early betting line is worth as much as, and sometimes more than, huge bonuses or reduced prices. MySportsbook's fearless, yet smart bookmaking style is what keeps everyone watching, including most other sportsbooks.

This is also a great choice for those who just want to have a worry free, fun experience. The ownership’s motto is “Sweat the game, not the payout”. These are not just decorative words used to fill space on the homepage. MySportsbook aims to give their customers the fastest withdrawals in the industry. Payouts are processed within 24 hours by an online sportsbook that carries our A+ financial rating.

Those who enjoy proposition and future wagers consider MySportsbook.com a top choice. Smaller players who seek large bonuses would do better at their sister book, Sportsbooks.com.

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

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.