Angels shoot for another win over first-place Rangers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue their quest to gain ground on the Texas Rangers as the top two teams in the AL West continue their three-game weekend series.

Newly-acquired Dan Haren will make his second start for Los Angeles this evening. The former Arizona hurler's first start ended early on Monday, as Haren was struck by a line drive on his right pitching forearm. He lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight Red Sox. Haren is a combined 7-9 this season with a 4.57 ERA, numbers less impressive than we are accustomed to seeing from the standout hurler.

In his career against Texas, Haren is 3-5 with a 4.29 ERA in 10 games.

Rich Harden returns from a stint on the disabled list and will take the ball for Texas today. The hard-throwing righty has been on the DL since June 12 with a lower back injury, and he hopes to improve his 3-3 record and 5.68 ERA. Harden pitched six strong innings on Monday in his most recent rehab assignment.

Harden has yet to face the Angels this season and is 5-3 lifetime against the club with a 3.96 ERA.

Juan Rivera had two hits yesterday, including a three-run homer, and the Angels overcame an early five-run deficit to beat the rival Rangers, 9-7.

Rivera drove in four runs total for the Angels, who still trail the AL West- leading Rangers by eight games after snapping a four-game losing streak. Erick Aybar also homered and drove in two runs, while Alberto Callaspo went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Ervin Santana (10-7) was the beneficiary of the support, getting the win despite allowing seven runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits and two walks in six innings. Brian Fuentes notched his 19th save.

"I felt like I had no command and no concentration, and I still came away with a win," Santana said. "Credit my teammates, offensively and defensively. That's a tough lineup, and I just tried to focus and get guys out."

Nelson Cruz belted a solo homer, while Vladimir Guerrero and David Murphy each drove in a pair of runs for the Rangers, who have dropped two of three. Elvis Andrus went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored in defeat.

Tommy Hunter (8-1) dropped his first decision of the season, giving up eight runs, eight hits and a walk in three-plus frames.

"Tommy wasn't able to hit his spots," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "He had trouble with his command. I wasn't expecting three innings out of him. We played well enough to win that game, but we couldn't stop them."

Infielder Jorge Cantu, who was acquired by Texas in a trade with Florida on Thursday, did not start. He did pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth and flied out.

Cruz extended his hit streak to 18 games.

Josh Hamilton left late in the game due to tendinitis in his right knee, an ailment that has bothered him all season. His status for tonight's game is unknown.

Texas has prevailed in six of the 10 previous meetings between these AL West rivals, but is just 2-6 in its last seven visits to Angel Stadium.

Sport-lines Baseball Betting News

<< White Sox aim for 13th straight home win vs. A's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago will attempt to extend its home winning streak to 13 consecutive games tonight as they continue a three-game weekend set at U.S. Cellular Field against the Oakland Athletics. Yesterday, Gordon Beckham had two hits

<< Winds of change surround Brewers-Astros clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Things sure are changing in the Astros' clubhouse in a hurry, but that hasn't stopped the club from putting together a little win streak. Having already traded one face of the franchise, Houston appears on the verge of sh

<< Nats try to extend win streak against Phillies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Usually sellers around the non-waiver trade deadline, the Nationals didn't seem to impressed on Friday with the Phillies' big midseason pickup. One day after spoiling the Philadelphia debut of Roy Oswalt, Washington will

<< Dodgers send out Billingsley on short rest to face Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In danger of losing a fourth straight game, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in need of a spark. That could come from work-horse Chad Billingsley, who will pitch on three days' rest for the first time in his career this afternoon

<< Reds hope to reclaim first place in test with Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds try to once again reverse their standing in the National League's Central Division today when they host the Atlanta Braves in game two of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park. The Reds entere

Rockies hope to break out bats against vs. Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The host Colorado Rockies can make it three straight in suddenly potent offensive style tonight when the Chicago Cubs head to Coors Field for the second of three games. Colorado, which had lost eight straight before Thursd

Power-swinging Marlins resume series with Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even a trip to spacious Petco Park couldn't derail the Marlins' power train. Florida seeks a sixth straight victory at the Padres' home park as it continues a three-game set tonight with San Diego. The Marlins got home run

Rays get Qualls from Diamondbacks >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired reliever Chad Qualls from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later. The right-handed Qualls has posted an 8.29 earned run average, t

Bucs agree to terms with McCoy, Penn >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and first-round draft pick Gerald McCoy have agreed to terms. McCoy, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma selected with the third overall pick of April's draft, reportedly agreed to a fi

Indians activate Wood off DL >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians on Saturday activated pitcher Kerry Wood from the 15-day disabled list. Wood last pitched on July 11 before landing on the DL with a blister on his right index finger. It was the

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards