Blue Jays, Rays continue set in Tampa
Baseball Betting Lines
04/24/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two rookie standouts from 2009 meet early in their
sophomore seasons tonight when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Tampa Bay Rays
for the middle contest of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
Lefty Ricky Romero was 13-9 in 29 first-year starts for Toronto last season,
splitting a pair of starts against the Rays while allowing 11 hits and four
runs in 14 innings with 13 strikeouts.
He's gone seven or more innings in all three starts so far in 2010, allowing a
combined 11 hits in 23 innings while picking up a no-decision, a win against
the Chicago White Sox and a loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, Romero allowed a .284 batting
average to opponents in 178 innings last season, but has dropped that clip to
.143 in his initial three starts in April. Romero has struck out 22 batters
and walked six.
For the Rays, 6-foot-9 righty Jeff Niemann also starts for the fourth time in
2010.
The fourth overall pick in 2004, Niemann initially reached the majors with
five appearances and a 2-2 record for the Rays in 2008, then made 31
appearances last season while emerging as a reliable starter with a 13-6
record and 3.94 earned run average.
He's 2-1 in three lifetime starts against Toronto, allowing 21 hits and 12
runs in 20 1/3 innings.
Through three starts this season, Niemann has pitched 15 1/3 innings while
surrendering 13 hits and five runs.
The Blue Jays were rude visitors in winning Friday's opener, when Jose
Bautista registered three doubles and an RBI in a 6-5 win.
Vernon Wells added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who
have won three of four. Alex Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs driven
in and Aaron Hill blasted a solo homer in his first game back from the
disabled list.
Brett Cecil (1-0) made his 2010 debut in place of the injured Brian Tallet and
allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 6 2/3 frames. Cecil struck out
eight in the victory, while Kevin Gregg collected his fifth save of the
season.
Gabe Kapler hit a two-run homer, while Willy Aybar added a solo shot for the
Rays, who were coming off a franchise-best 9-1 road trip.
Matt Garza (3-1), who came into the game with an AL-best 0.75 earned run
average, yielded five runs, eight hits and four walks in five frames. He was
seeking to become the first Rays starter in history to win each of his first
four starts.
Tampa Bay was an impressive 14-4 last season versus the Jays.
<< Durant, Thunder try and even series vs. Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The upstart Oklahoma City Thunder hope to deadlock their
Western Conference quarterfinals series with the defending NBA champion Los
Angeles Lakers tonight.
The Thunder got back in the set on Thursday when Kevin Durant sco
<< Hawks-Bucks series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will try and take a commanding 3-0 lead
in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight when they visit the Milwaukee
Bucks at Bradley Center.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 27 points on Tuesday, while Jo
<< Suns shoot for 3-1 lead on banged-up Blazers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to bounce back from a pair
of poor performances this afternoon as they attempt to even their Western
Conference quarterfinals series with the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns took a 2-1 edge in the se
<< Magic aim for commanding 3-0 series lead in Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats return to the cozy confines of Time
Warner Cable Arena for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals set
with Orlando in search of the franchise's first ever postseason win.
The Magic held serv
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Orioles turn to rookie Matusz versus Red Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of the Baltimore Orioles' wins this season have come
with rookie Brian Matusz on the hill. The woeful O's hope that trend continues
tonight when they continue their three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at
Fenway Par
Tigers send Willis to the hill against Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dontrelle Willis' last major league win came at the expense
of the Texas Rangers almost a year ago. Tonight he takes aim at his first
victory of this season when the Detroit Tigers continue their four-game set
with the Ranger
White Sox and Mariners get together again in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try to make it two straight wins this
afternoon when they continue their three-game series with the Seattle Mariners
at U.S. Cellular Field.
The White Sox drew first blood in this series in dramatic f
Anderson aims for solid start as A's resume set with Indians >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Anderson tries to duplicate what Justin Duchscherer
did in the opener when the Oakland Athletics play the middle test of their
three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at the Coliseum.
Duchscherer scattered fi
Mets target back-to-back wins over Braves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some mixing up of New York's lineup has the Mets in
position to win consecutive games over Atlanta for the first time in almost a
year. They'll try to do that this afternoon in the middle portion of a three-
game set with the
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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