O's hope to continue success under new manager vs. White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

08/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles passed their first test under new manager Buck Showalter with flying colors. Their next challenge figures to be a little bit tougher, however, with the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox invading Camden Yards for a four-game series that begins this evening.

The Orioles excelled in their first series with Showalter at the helm, taking all three meetings with the fading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to start a current seven-game homestand off on a very positive note. The club showed some resolve as well in Thursday's finale, bouncing back from squandering a four- run lead to claim a 5-4 victory on Cesar Izturis' one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning.

After the Angels scored four times in the top of the eighth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit, Baltimore's Matt Wieters smacked a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth and pinch-runner Julio Lugo advanced on a sacrifice bunt before Izturis singled up the middle to knock in the winning run and give the Orioles their first sweep of Anaheim since July 17-20, 2003.

"I think [Showalter] really sparked those guys," Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. "We just couldn't come through. They just seemed like they wanted it more."

Nick Markakis added a solo homer and drove in two runs for Baltimore, while rookie Jake Arrieta turned in 7 2/3 strong innings despite not factoring in the final outcome. The young right-hander retired the first 14 batters he faced and took a shutout into the eighth inning before being charged with a pair of runs allowed.

Jason Berken (3-2) claimed the win after recording the final out of the top of the eighth and following up with a scoreless ninth.

Now the Orioles will attempt to maintain their newfound momentum when they take on a formidable Chicago squad that comes in having won nine of its last 11 contests and owns a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Minnesota in the AL Central standings.

The White Sox won three of four matchups in Detroit in their most recent set and garnered a series win with a 6-4, 11-inning decision on Thursday. Chicago overcame another shaky showing from closer Bobby Jenks, who surrendered a game-tying three-run homer to the Tigers' Ryan Raburn in the bottom of the ninth that raised his earned run average to 10.57 since the All-Star break.

Chicago went back in front on Mark Kotsay's two-run triple in the top of the 11th, and Sergio Santos threw two scoreless innings in relief of Jenks to earn his first major league win.

Kotsay, who's batting just .223 on the season, had a two-run homer earlier in the game and finished 3-for-5 for the White Sox, while Juan Pierre added an RBI single as part of a two-hit afternoon.

"It's not easy," said Kotsay of his slump. "Anytime you struggle you get to see the true character of somebody, and hopefully in this locker room these guys know the amount of effort, the amount of work I put in just to help this ball club and [Thursday] it's all good."

Jenks' blown save cost Freddy Garcia a chance of earning his 11th win of the year after the veteran starter held the Tigers to one run and five hits over the first 6 2/3 innings.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen will be seeking a similar performance out of tonight's starter John Danks, the team's leader with 11 victories thus far in 2010. The usually-steady left-hander wasn't at his best last time out, however, allowing five runs in 6 2/3 innings to take a loss against Oakland this past Saturday.

Prior to that defeat, Danks had won four straight starts and yielded one run or less in three of those games. The 25-year-old has posted a solid 3.40 ERA for the season and has limited the opposition to a .221 average at the plate.

Danks also owns a 4-2 record with a 4.11 ERA in six lifetime encounters with Baltimore and beat the Orioles three times last season, including an April 22, 2009 showdown at Camden Yards in which he delivered seven innings of one-run ball.

Brad Bergesen gets the call for Baltimore in the opener and takes another stab at ending a winless streak that's gone on for more than 2 1/2 months now. The sophomore right-hander is 0-7 with a 7.26 ERA in 11 starts since a May 12 verdict over Seattle, with the Orioles prevailing as a team in only one of those tilts.

Bergesen did pitch well enough to win in his most recent assignment, however, working seven innings and giving up just two runs on five hits Saturday at Kansas City. He left with a 3-2 lead, but ended up with a no-decision after the Royals scored twice against the Baltimore bullpen in the eighth.

The 24-year-old went 1-1 in a pair of starts against the White Sox during a seven-win rookie campaign in 2009, with the victory taking place at Camden Yards in his major league debut. Bergesen permitted three runs -- one earned -- and just four hits over 5 2/3 innings in that April 21, 2009 clash.

The Orioles won five of nine overall meetings with the White Sox last season, including two of three tests held in Baltimore.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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