White Sox rout Mariners, Floyd strong again in victory

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexei Ramirez, Paul Konerko and Andruw Jones each homered, and Gavin Floyd threw seven scoreless frames for Chicago en route to an 11-0 annihilation of Seattle in the second meeting of a four-game series.

Floyd (6-8) did not walk a batter in his outing, allowing only five hits while striking out six for the White Sox, who have won nine straight at U.S. Cellular Field. The starter has allowed one earned run or less in all but one of his last 10 outings, lowering his earned-run average from 6.64 to 3.66.

Ramirez had three hits and drove in three, A.J. Pierzynski went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, and Dayan Viciedo doubled twice and drove in a run in the rout.

Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-10) gave up all 11 runs in five innings on 11 hits and two walks for the Mariners, who have lost four of their last six.

Jose Lopez grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners in the first inning. He suffered a tight left hamstring on the play and things got worse for Seattle from there.

Juan Pierre started things in the bottom half with a single, stole second and scored on Ramirez's base hit to center. Carlos Quentin worked a two-out walk and a wild pitch put two into scoring position for Pierzynski, who brought home both runners with a single to right and raced around on Viciedo's double.

Ramirez made it 6-0 in the second with a two-run shot over the wall in left- center, and Konerko followed two batters later with a solo blast, his 23rd.

Gordon Beckham's two-out double the next frame plated Jones, whose three-run round-tripper in the fifth made it a laugher.

Game Notes

Rowland-Smith has not won since June 20, a span of seven starts. The club is 3-16 in his 19 starts this season...Ramirez and Jones have 10 and 14 home runs on the year, respectively...Chone Figgins and Josh Bard each had two hits for the Mariners...Game time: two hours, four minutes.

Wwwdickbutkus Baseball Betting News

<< Mets return home, rock Wainwright and Cards
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francoeur and Jose Reyes each homered as the New York Mets made a successful return to Citi Field by roughing up Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game series. The Mets

<< Shields follows Garza's no-hit gem with strong outing
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One night after Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay franchise history, the Rays used a solid outing from starter James Shields and a timely RBI double by Matt Joyce to defeat the Detroit

<< Bautista powers Blue Jays over Orioles
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and knocked in five, as the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Baltimore Orioles, 8-2, in the second of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Vernon Wells

<< Tomlin shines in MLB debut; A-Rod held homerless on birthday
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Tomlin pitched into the eighth inning in his major league debut and Matt LaPorta provided enough support with two RBI, as Cleveland downed the Yankees, 4-1, in the continuation of a four-game series

<< No Strasburg, no problem: Nationals shut out Braves
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Batista, thrust into emergency duty after the late scratch to phenom Stephen Strasburg, hurled five scoreless frames as Washington downed Atlanta, 3-0, in the first of three games at Nationa

Tomlin wins in major league debut for Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Tomlin pitched into the eighth inning in his major league debut and bested former Indians ace CC Sabathia in a 4-1 Indians win against the Yankees. Tomlin was recalled from Triple-A Columbus Tues

Phillies use long ball vs. D'Backs to stay hot >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard finished 2-for-4 with a two- run homer, three RBI and two runs scored as Philadelphia rallied past Arizona, 9-5, in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Cody Ransom and

ECU assistant resigns over possible NCAA violations >>
Greenville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - East Carolina assistant football coach Mark Nelson announced his resignation Tuesday after possible NCAA violations were uncovered regarding the illegal observation of voluntary summer workouts. Nelson s

Myers' CG, six-run seventh gets Astros past Cubs >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Myers went the distance and Lance Berkman's grand slam capped a six-run seventh inning as Houston downed Chicago, 6-1, in the second of three between the clubs at Minute Maid Park. Hunter

Lee fans 13, Cruz hits game-winning HR in 10th as Rangers down A's >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee set a career high with 13 strikeouts over nine brilliant innings and Nelson Cruz belted a two-run, game- winning home run in the bottom of the 10th, as the Texas Rangers edged the Oakland

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

Sportsbook accepts U.S. credit cards

Sportsbooks That Take US Credit Cards for NFL football betting

Sportsbooks that take credit cards are not always easy to come by....Everything from credit card companies denying gambling transactions to the fear of chargebacks by customers has slowed down sportsbook credit card transactions by a high percentage.

There are however still sportsbooks that take credit cards.

When using your credit card it is highly recommended that you try either: MySportsbook.com or Sportsbooks.com. Both sportsbooks have a high rate of accepting credit cards and will save you the time and hassle of looking around the web to make a credit card transaction.

Furthermore, Sportsbooks.com is one of the oldest sportsbooks on the web and Sportsbook offers security in that they are the biggest online sportsbook in the world! Publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange, they are ROCK SOLID!