10/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies will battle for the right to represent the National League at the World Series when the best-of-seven NLCS gets underway on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.
Los Angeles is back in the NLCS for the eighth time in team history, but this is its first time back since its classic seven-game win over the New York Mets en route to its last world championship in 1988.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, is in this round for the seventh time, but is making its first trip since 1993 when it topped Atlanta in six games.
After getting swept in the NLDS last year by the red-hot Colorado Rockies, the NL East-champion Phillies made the most of their return, as they used some tremendous starting pitching and some timely hitting to get past the Milwaukee Brewers in four games.
However, the Phillies managed to get by without contributions from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
After going 2-for-11 last year against the Rockies, Utley managed just two hits in 15 at-bats against the Brewers, while Howard was 2-for-11. Utley, though, had perhaps the biggest hit of Game 1, a two-run double that probably should have been caught by center fielder Mike Cameron.
Utley, though, batted .355 with two homers against the Dodgers this year.
Los Angeles was back in the postseason for the first time since getting swept by the Mets in the 2006 NLDS. The NL West-champion Dodgers set the tone in their matchup with the Chicago Cubs, winning the first two games at Wrigley Field on their way to a three-game sweep.
While Philadelphia scored in bunches in their series, the Dodgers put on a clinic in how to score runs in their whitewash over the Cubs. Los Angeles hit its share of home runs, four in all, but the Dodgers made Chicago pay every time it made a mistake.
Never was that more apparent than in Game 2, as four Cubs errors led to 10 Dodgers runs.
As he has been since he arrived in Los Angeles, Ramirez was the catalyst offensively for the Dodgers in their sweep of the Cubs. The 2004 World Series MVP hit .500 in the series with a pair of home runs and three RBI. Neither of his blasts were outcome changers, but Ramirez was on base the whole series, scoring five of his team's 20 runs.
The Dodgers hope Ramirez can duplicate his numbers from last year's ALCS, when he hit .409 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBI for the Red Sox in their seven-game win over Cleveland. He is a lifetime .319 hitter in LCS play with 10 home runs and 23 RBI in 39 games.
The Dodgers will send righty Derek Lowe to the hill in Game 1. Lowe was one of the best pitchers in the league down the stretch, winning six of his last seven decisions, and carried that into his Game 1 effort against the Cubs. Lowe earned the win in that one, giving up a pair of runs and seven hits in six innings.
The Phillies could face Lowe three times this series. The lefty-heavy Phillies lineup has traditionally battered right-handed pitching. However, despite Jimmy Rollins, Utley and Pat Burrell all boasting averages better than .300 against Lowe, none of them has taken him deep.
Howard, meanwhile, is just 2-for-16 lifetime against him.
Lowe beat the Phillies the last time he saw them and is 4-1 against them with a 3.02 ERA in 11 games, seven of which have been starts. He is also 2-0 in his three starts at Citizens Bank Park with a 2.25 ERA.
Getting the call for the Phils in Game 1 tonight will be lefty Cole Hamels, who put forth one of the best efforts of his young career in his Game 1 NLDS start, as he held the Brewers to just two hits over eight scoreless innings, while striking out nine with a walk.
Hamels has only faced the Dodgers twice and is 1-0 against them with a 2.57 ERA. He defeated them back on August 23, surrendering a pair of runs and five hits in seven innings.
Each team won four games from one another in the season series, with each capturing a four-game sweep on their home turf.
These teams are also no stranger to one another in the postseason, having met on three other occasions. However, they have not met up in the playoffs since the Phils defeated the Dodgers, 3-1, to advance to the 1983 World Series.
Los Angeles, though, defeated the Phils the first two times these teams squared off in NLCS play.
Unfortunately, the winner of the past three LCS matchups between these two has gone on to lose the World Series.
<< Sweden eight clear at Women's World Amateur
Adelaide, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden finished two rounds of stroke
play at 15-under 275 and made more history en route to the 54-hole lead of the
2008 Women's World Amateur Team Championship at the Grange Golf Club.
One day aft
<< Report: Rogers ruled to repay Lions
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Detroit wide receiver Charles Rogers
will reportedly need to repay the Lions millions of dollars, after the
franchise won a grievance against the player.
Citing Lions chief operating officer
<< Wizards' Haywood has torn ligaments in wrist
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Wizards center Brendan
Haywood has torn ligaments in his right wrist and will undergo surgery, team
president Ernie Grunfeld announced Wednesday.
A report from the Washington Post
<< Report: Wizards' Haywood has torn ligaments in wrist
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Wizards center Brendan
Haywood reportedly has torn ligaments in his right wrist and will miss four-
to-six months after undergoing surgery, putting his entire season in jeopardy.
The
Red Wings begin Cup defense against Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will begin their Stanley Cup title
defense tonight as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to Joe Louis Arena for
the opening contest of the regular season for both teams.
Detroit's recent championshi
Bruins open campaign in Colorado >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston and Colorado will begin their 2008-09 regular
seasons with an interconference battle, as the Avalanche host the Bruins
tonight at the Pepsi Center.
Both the Bruins and Avs are coming off postseason appearances last
Canucks host Flames in season opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division rivals will begin their
2008-09 campaigns tonight, as the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Calgary Flames
to General Motors Place.
The Flames finished third in the division last year with 94 point
Sharks, Ducks begin 2008-09 slate in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Pacific Division rivals, as well as Stanley Cup
hopefuls, will meet tonight in Silicon Valley as the San Jose Sharks welcome
the Anaheim Ducks to HP Pavilion.
Both teams made the postseason last spring, but neith
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting