Reds send Wood to the hill in the desert

Baseball Betting Lines

08/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their lead atop the National League's Central Division beginning to swell, the Cincinnati Reds will make an adjustment to their starting rotation for this evening's clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks from Chase Field.

Tonight had been Mike Leake's turn to start for the Reds, but the team has opted to move the rookie to the bullpen in the short term in order to conserve the prized prospect's innings for the stretch run. In Leake's place will be Travis Wood, another youngster who's made a positive impression during his short time in the majors.

Wood has compiled a 3-1 record with an outstanding 2.65 earned run average during an eight-start span from July 1-August 8, but was briefly sent back to Triple-A Louisville afterward because the Reds weren't in need of an fifth starter. The rookie had won three consecutive outings prior to being sent down.

In his most recent start in the majors, Wood picked up a victory at Chicago on August 8 after allowing four runs (three earned) and just four hits over 6 1/3 innings. Seven of the 23-year-old's eight big-league appearances have come on the road, and he's 3-0 with a solid 2.80 ERA over those games.

Wood will be attempting to extend Cincinnati's present win streak to a season- high six games and earn a sweep of this three-game set when he toes the rubber tonight. The Reds kept up their unbeaten run by putting forth a big late rally on Wednesday, scoring eight times over the final two innings to post an 11-7 come-from-behind triumph over the Diamondbacks.

Trailing 7-3 after seven innings, Cincinnati erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth to draw even and scored four more times in the ninth to forge ahead. The Reds took an 8-7 lead when Chris Heisey's pinch-hit bunt single plated Jim Edmonds, who began the ninth with a double, while Laynce Nix capped the big inning with a two-RBI double and knocked in three runs total on the evening.

Both Edmonds and Bruce had homered for Cincinnati earlier in the game, with Bruce ending 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored for the contest. Ramon Hernandez finished 3-for-4 with a run-scoring double for the Reds, who racked up 18 hits as a team.

The win gave Cincinnati a three-game advantage over slumping St. Louis in the NL Central standings, with the Cardinals' suffering their fourth straight loss in last night's defeat to Milwaukee.

The Reds will put another streak on the line when they take the diamond tonight. Cincinnati has now won seven consecutive times at Chase Field since a 3-2 loss on September 12, 2008 and is 15-3 in its past 18 overall matchups with the Diamondbacks.

Arizona relievers Sam Demel and Aaron Heilman were rocked for eight runs over a combined 2 2/3 innings on Wednesday, with Heilman (3-4) taking the loss after permitting four runs and five hits in just 1 1/3 frames.

"I can be critical of myself the way I handled the bullpen tonight," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said afterward. "I just don't put it on those guys. As a team, we didn't stand up to it when it was on the line. I was just as responsible as the rest of the team."

Chris Young and Adam LaRoche each hit two-run homers and had a pair of hits apiece for Arizona, losers of five of its last six tilts.

Joe Saunders will attempt to get the Diamondbacks back on track, while ending a personal two-start skid in the process, when the midseason acquisition takes the mound for tonight's finale.

After delivering strong performances in his first two assignments since coming over from the Angels in the late-July trade involving former Arizona ace Dan Haren, Saunders has struggled in back-to-back starts. The 2008 All-Star was tagged for six runs (five earned) in six innings in a home setback to San Diego on August 8, then surrendered four runs and 10 hits through six frames in Friday's 4-2 loss at Washington.

Since being acquired by the D-Backs, Saunders is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts. The 29-year-old will be opposing the Reds for the first time tonight.

Saunders may not have to deal with one of Cincinnati's top hitters in this evening's showdown. All-Star first baseman Joey Votto was scratched from Wednesday's lineup after experiencing tightness in his back, and it's uncertain whether he'll in the Reds' lineup tonight.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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