NL West: D'Backs getting no action from Jackson

Baseball Betting Lines

05/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Diamondbacks invested a lot of hope and plenty of dough on Edwin Jackson this offseason, but all he's been able to do is lead his new ballclub to just one win in eight starts.

Arizona (14-21) acquired Jackson along with fellow right-hander Ian Kennedy in a three-team trade in December that sent pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit and outfielder Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. It's safe to say nobody has made out significantly since the deal, with Jackson and Kennedy combining for only three wins, Granderson on the disabled list in New York and Scherzer 1-3 in seven starts as a Tiger.

Jackson had high expectations with his powerful fastball and ability to get ahead of batters with his offspeed stuff. He said during his introductory press conference that he planned on "keeping the ball moving in a positive direction" and so far hasn't been able to keep opponents off the scoreboard. A regular in a rotation the past few seasons with Detroit and Tampa Bay, Jackson is only 1-5 with a 4.73 earned run average in his new digs.

After improving to 1-1 in his second start with seven innings of four-run ball in a 15-6 blowout of Pittsburgh on April 11, Jackson is a woeful 0-4 with an 8.21 ERA in six starts since. In an April 27 loss at Colorado, Jackson, who posted a 13-9 record with a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts for the Tigers last season and made his first All-Star Game appearance, was battered for 10 runs and 11 hits in only 2 1/3 innings of a 12-1 setback.

The former draft pick of the Dodgers followed that dreadful performance with another brutal effort on May 2 against the Cubs, permitting eight runs and 11 hits over four innings. This is the same pitcher who made his major league debut at Chase Field in 2003 and beat Randy Johnson. And now the recipient of a two-year contract worth a reported $13.35 million is part of a rotation rated second to last in the National League in wins (14) and ERA (5.72).

Arizona is last in the NL West standings and hopes its new pitcher can snap out of his current funk. Jackson was doing well in his previous start on Wednesday against Los Angeles, but was eventually roughed up for six runs and seven hits through 6 2/3 innings. The D'Backs are mired in a six-game losing streak and will return to the diamond Friday in the opener of a three-game road series against Atlanta. Kennedy is slated to pitch tomorrow night and is 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA in seven trips to the mound.

As for Jackson, he has a few more days to think about his next appearance.

ELY MAKING MOST OF HOLLYWOOD APPEARANCE

Dodgers veteran Vicente Padilla was named the Opening Day starter, but suffered a right arm injury and isn't expected to return until sometime next month.

In the meantime, rookie pitcher John Ely has taken over that spot and manager Joe Torre's good side. Ely lost his major league debut in late April against the Mets before rebounding in a no-decision versus Milwaukee on May 6, when he tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball with a career-best seven strikeouts.

Ely reached the win column at Arizona on Tuesday, limiting the rival Diamondbacks to a pair of runs and six hits in six innings. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in each of his three starts and has issued just three walks through 18 2/3 innings of work. Torre reiterated on the team's website that Ely's job is safe.

"He's one of our starters right now," Torre said. "[Vicente] Padilla is more than a month away. I don't see where he's [Ely] in any danger. His command has been terrific. He's got us to the seventh inning each time."

Hiroki Kuroda has been nothing short of terrific either, as evidenced by his 4-1 mark and 2.66 earned run average in seven starts this season. He joined in on the fun last night in a 6-3 win at Arizona and gave up three runs -- two earned -- in 7 1/3 innings. Kuroda helped the Dodgers to a fourth straight win, their first series sweep of the year and their first road series victory.

The Dodgers (17-17) are now back at .500 for the first time since late April and will resume a six-game road trip Friday in the opener of a three-game series against the NL West-leading Padres at Petco Park. San Diego sits 4 1/2 games ahead of third-place Los Angeles in the standings.

COLORADO'S JIMENEZ LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK

Since taking the major leagues by storm with a no-hitter a month ago in Atlanta, Rockies staff ace Ubaldo Jimenez is attempting to do something he isn't used to this season -- rebound from a loss.

Jimenez is scheduled to take the mound in Friday's second portion of a four- game road series against the Washington Nationals. The hard-throwing righty was 6-0 with an 0.87 earned run average and had been a recipient of great run support until squaring off with the Dodgers last Sunday. In the 2-0 difference at Chavez Ravine, Jimenez suffered the tough-luck loss for allowing just a run and two hits through seven innings.

Most pitchers who throw seven innings of one-run ball usually get the win, but in this case Jimenez was taught a lesson that it's not easy being a major league pitcher. One of the NL's top hurlers so far this season, Jimenez has allowed two or more runs just once this season and has lasted at least six innings in each of his appearances.

It's a shame Aaron Cook hasn't been able to build off the buzz that Jimenez created and is 1-3 in seven starts in 2010. Cook pitched in Colorado's 4-3 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, but did not record a decision. The latest triumph in an interrupted set at Coors Field may be what this team needs in order to make some noise again in the division.

"Last year I talked about different games that may end up being pivotal as you move forward," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "Maybe [Wednesday's] game is one of those games."

Tracy's club has won five of its last nine contests and sits five games off the lead in the National League West. Taking the ball for Colorado (16-17) tonight will be Jhoulys Chacin. The rookie has won back-to-back starts and fired 7 1/3 shutout innings in an 8-0 win at Los Angeles on Saturday. Chacin struck out seven batters for the second straight outing and will face Washington for the first time. The righty threw seven scoreless frames of one- hit ball for his first career win, which took place at San Francisco on May 2.

CLOSE CALL FOR PADRES' STAUFFER

Some help online and a call to the trainer was all San Diego Padres reliever Tim Stauffer needed before undergoing an emergency appendectomy this week.

Stauffer experienced discomfort in his stomach Monday night hours after enjoying dinner with his wife and family. He then complained of pain in his stomach region the entire night before making contact with trainer Todd Hutcheson, and was admitted to St. Mary's Medical Center.

The right-hander and former first-round pick of the Padres in 2003 underwent the procedure on Tuesday and was back with his teammates and coaching staff the following day. A timetable for his return to the mound is unknown, but Stauffer hopes it's less than a month.

"[The doctor] said I'll know how it feels. There's no set time, it varies from person to person," Stauffer said on the team's site. "He said he's seen guys come back in three weeks. I'm anticipating the lower side of the timeline."

Stauffer began the 2010 campaign with 17 1/3 scoreless innings of relief and is 2-1 with a 0.39 earned run average in 10 games (1 start) this season. Speaking of the bullpen, closer Heath Bell is tied for third in the National League with 10 saves. Bell has allowed just one unearned run since mid-April.

The Padres (21-12) are 2 1/2 games in front of San Francisco for the NL West lead and posted a 5-2 victory in Wednesday's second installment of this three- game set. San Diego broke out the brooms on the Giants when it won all three matchups at Petco Park from April 19-21, and has taken eight of the last 10 meetings between the clubs.

GIANTS SHOULDN'T FRET ABOUT SANDOVAL YET

Around this time last year Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval had similar numbers to what he is currently sporting. Sandoval owns three homers and 11 RBI so far this season and has many skeptics doubting his worth right now.

The bulky Sandoval, who had three homers and 15 runs batted in by May 13 of 2009, hasn't gone deep since April 21 at San Diego. He clubbed 25 homers and drove in 90 runs in 153 games a year ago, so teammates must remain patient with the 'Kung-Fu Panda'.

While San Francisco (18-14) waits on Sandoval to break out, Aubrey Huff and Aaron Rowand are carrying the weight of the offense. Huff leads the team in batting average (.296), is tied with Rowand for homers with four and sits even with the center fielder for second in RBI with 17. Juan Uribe is ahead of the pack with 21 runs batted in.

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez has been on the disabled list all season to recover from left shoulder surgery, and his possible return date is later this month. Acquired from Pittsburgh during the 2009 campaign, Sanchez is currently on a rehabilitation assignment in the Minor Leagues and is expected to remain with high-Class A San Jose through Friday. He will then be evaluated.

"When he comes up here, we're not bringing him up to play him a day and rest him a day," Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said on the team's site. "There will be no restrictions."

Bochy needs all the help he can get in the infield with Mark DeRosa nursing a balky wrist and Edgar Renteria battling a groin problem. The Giants have lost two straight and four of their last five games, and sit 2 1/2 games behind San Diego for the NL West lead. They'll be trying to avoid another three-game sweep tonight at the hands of the Padres.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.

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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.

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