Indians not to be ignored in AL Central
Baseball Betting Lines
04/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tigers, Twins and White Sox spent the 2006 season jockeying for position atop the American League Central standings. In 2007, the Cleveland Indians have every intention of making that a four-team race.
The Indians were an enigmatic team last year, scoring runs in bunches but often coughing up leads due to poor relief pitching or an untimely error. Ultimately, Cleveland unraveled and became one of the more disappointing teams in '06, failing miserably to meet expectations for a team rich in talent.
But the Indians aren't thinking about the 20 blown saves -- or anything, for that matter -- from the 2006 season. What they are thinking about is currently being tied with the White Sox for third place in the division, 1 1/2 games back of the Twins and a half-game back of the Tigers.
The organization brought in a few veteran relievers, most notably Joe Borowski, but was mostly content to let its young core of players continue to develop. Treacherous weather and the subsequent schedule tinkering threw a figurative stick in the spokes, but the Indians have managed to stay afloat in the early going despite facing some tough competition.
The Tribe were swept by the Yankees in the Bronx this past week, but rebounded by taking two of three from Tampa Bay on the road over the weekend. Cleveland was facing a series loss until putting together four-run ninth on Sunday, fueled by Ryan Garko's three-run blast.
Garko's homer could be just what the doctor ordered for a Cleveland team that had been struggling with runners in scoring position. Prior to Sunday's game, the Tribe was hitting a brutal .150 in those situations over its previous 12 games. On Sunday, Cleveland was 3-for-3 in such situations.
Still, there is certainly room for improvement. The offense, as a unit, is hitting just .242 on the young season. And among the starting pitchers, only C.C. Sabathia has logged more than one win thus far. Jake Westbrook, the recipient of a new $33 million contract extension, has been slow out of the gate but pitched well on Sunday.
Borowski was brought along to solidify the back end of the bullpen. Though he has converted all seven of his save opportunities, he is 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA, having given up nine earned runs in eight innings pitched. If the Indians are to keep pace in the division throughout the year, Borowski will have to be steady closing out games when the offense is cranking out runs.
SABATHIA OFF TO ANOTHER QUICK START
Staff ace C.C. Sabathia has been on top of his game in April, posting a perfect 3-0 record through four starts. Sabathia has compiled 27 strikeouts with only seven walks and is sporting a 2.25 ERA. In his most recent start, Sabathia pitched seven innings and gave up two earned runs while striking out eight Friday against Tampa Bay.
He walked away with a no decision, though a win would have made him the first Cleveland pitcher since 1995 to start the season 4-0.
"Each year I've seen C.C. learn more and more and get better and better," Westbrook told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's been really fun to watch.
"I saw him early in his career when he was blowing 97-to-99 miles per hour. Now he's become an overall pitcher. He's confident, relaxed and comfortable with the pitcher he is."
SPEAKING OF HOT STARTS...
Travis Hafner has been absolutely terrorizing opposing pitchers of late. Through 15 games, the Tribe's slugger is hitting at a .345 clip and has compiled four homers and 13 RBI.
Prior to Sunday's 0-for-3 showing against Tampa Bay, Hafner had amassed 12 hits in his previous 19 at-bats, including three straight three-hit games. His most recent three-hit performance was on Friday against the Devil Rays, which included the game-winning single in the ninth inning.
Devil Rays starting pitcher Edwin Jackson has seen enough of Hafner already this season.
"He's a tough hitter to face," Jackson said. "The only thing you can do is come at him in the situations that you can, and hope things fall in your favor."
Ditto for D-Rays' manager Joe Maddon.
"He's different," Maddon said of Hafner. "He plays in that other league that's above this league, whenever it's established. And quite frankly, I wish he'd go there. He's one of the better hitters in all of baseball. He always works a good at-bat, and we didn't want to pitch to him. He's very good."
WHO'S HOT
The Tribe's stars, the aforementioned Sabathia and Hafner
WHO'S NOT
The majority of the infield. Third baseman Casey Blake is hitting just .196, shortstop Jhonny Peralta is batting .216 and second baseman Josh Barfield is hitting only .143.
A LOOK AHEAD
The Tribe travels to Minnesota for a two-game set beginning Monday, then returns home to host the Rangers for two. Against the Twins, it will be Jeremy Sowers (0-1, 5.17) and Fausto Carmona (0-1, 6.97) versus Carlos Silva (1-1, 2.00) and Johan Santana (3-1, 3.00). Cleveland then hosts Baltimore over the weekend.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have asserted themselves as the early frontrunners in the ultra-competitive American League Central. Although it is only a one-game lead with about 150 games remaining in a long season, tallying wins in Ap
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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.