07/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have been playing poorly since mid- June and will try to stop a five-game losing streak tonight in the opener of a three-game series versus the Oakland Athletics at Progressive Field.
The Indians haven't won a series since winning two of three matchups versus the St. Louis Cardinals from June 12-14 and have dropped 13 of their last 15 games, including Wednesday's 6-2 setback to the Chicago White Sox. Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore were both credited with RBI for Cleveland, while starter Jeremy Sowers was rocked for five runs and 11 hits in six innings to absorb the loss.
"It's not a mystery that we're struggling," Sowers said on the team's Web site. "We've been in some games, but we just haven't found a way to get over the top. Right now, we're searching for an identity and a rhythm. For whatever reason, it's not clicking."
Cleveland, which is last in the AL Central and 1-5 on a nine-game homestand, will send rookie David Huff to the mound on Friday. Huff was 3-0 in a four- start span before losing his last outing Sunday versus Cincinnati, which reached him for seven runs -- six earned -- and nine hits in five innings of an 8-1 decision.
The left-handed Huff is 3-3 with a 6.26 earned run average in nine major league starts, and will face the Athletics for the first time.
Oakland also resides in last place in its respective division, the AL West, and owns just two wins over the last eight games. It just took two of three versus Detroit, however, and is coming off Wednesday's 5-1 victory over the Tigers behind seven strong innings from starter Dallas Braden.
Braden allowed one run on five hits and a walk and struck out three in the win, while Brad Ziegler and Andrew Bailey each tossed a scoreless inning to preserve the victory. Jack Cust and Jason Giambi each hit a two-run homer and Kurt Suzuki drove in a run for the A's, who won this series after losing five in a row.
"We've been facing good pitching all year," Cust said. "Today we went out and beat one of the best pitchers in the league [Detroit's Justin Verlander]. We've just got to take that mindset and remember that, and go into these next games against guys that are similar to him and try to have good at-bats."
The Athletics will open a nine-game road trip against the Indians, Red Sox and Rays tonight and will hand the ball to rookie Trevor Cahill this evening. Cahill dropped his last appearance in an 11-9 loss to Colorado on Saturday, as he gave up seven runs and eight hits through 3 2/3 innings. Cahill entered the contest 3-0 in his previous five trips to the mound.
The righty, who is 5-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 starts, has never faced Cleveland.
The Tribe took five of nine meetings with Oakland last season, including a 4-2 mark as the host. Cleveland has won nine of the last 13 matchups versus the Athletics at home.
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Federer reaches record seventh straight Wimbledon final >>
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Williams f
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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