Cubs shoot for sweep in DC

Baseball Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs may have been shocked at first by Lou Piniella's sudden retirement, but the team appears to be handling the changing of the guard at the managerial position quite well.

Chicago goes for a sweep of its initial series under interim skipper Mike Quade when the club completes a three-game road set with the struggling Washington Nationals this evening.

Piniella had planned to retire at the conclusion of this season, but the 66- year-old switched gears and stepped down following the Cubs' 16-5 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. The three-time Manager of the Year pushed up the timetable in order to spend more time with his ill mother in Florida.

Chicago had lost six of its final seven games with Piniella at the helm, but has won the first two tests since Quade was promoted from third base coach. After cruising to a 9-1 victory over the Nationals in Quade's debut on Monday, the Cubs built a comfortable early lead and held on for a 5-4 triumph in last night's middle test of this series.

Former Nat Alfonso Soriano staked Chicago to a quick advantage by belting a three-run homer in the top of the second inning, with Tyler Colvin connecting on a two-run shot in the fourth to put the Cubs ahead by a 5-0 count. The two long balls enabled Carlos Zambrano (5-6) to notch his fifth win of 2010 after the veteran starter yielded just one run and five hits while fanning eight batters over a season-high 7 1/3 innings.

Both homers came against Washington lefty John Lannan (5-6), who surrendered five runs (four earned) in five innings to suffer the loss, the sixth in eight games for the Nationals.

"Soriano has hurt us in this ballpark a number of times," said Washington manager Jim Riggleman. "John battled him tough and threw some good pitches, but Soriano won that battle."

Zambrano retired 13 men over a 14-hitter stretch before being chased by Nyjer Morgan's one-out single in the eighth. Reliever Sean Marshall got the Cubs out of the inning unscathed, but closer Carlos Marmol ran into a heap of trouble in Washington's half of the ninth.

The Nationals loaded the bases on two walks and a base hit before Adam Kennedy laced a two-out double into the right-field corner to clear the sacks and pull his team within 5-4. Marmol would retire Ryan Zimmerman on a fly ball that was caught near the warning track in right, however, to end the threat and the game.

"You do this sometimes and he's lights out," said Quade about Marmol. "Other times he's not, but I'll tell you that more times not you leave here winning. Just get it done, and he did."

Chicago now tries to remain unbeaten under Quade and win three straight contests for the first time since July 5-7 when it takes the field tonight behind the streaking Ryan Dempster. The right-hander has amassed a 3-0 record along with a stellar 1.65 earned run average in four August starts and sports a 4-1 ledger over eight outings since the All-Star break.

Dempster did have a three-start win streak come to an end in Friday's matchup with the Braves, although he certainly pitched well enough to prevail. The native Canadian worked eight innings that day and held Atlanta to two runs on four hits, but wound up without a decision after Marmol blew a save chance in the ninth.

The 33-year-old has been Chicago's most consistent hurler this season, having generated an 11-8 record with a solid 3.56 ERA over 26 starts, and he's 7-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 21 lifetime appearances (13 starts) against the Washington/Montreal franchise. That lone defeat did take place on April 28 of this year, however, after Dempster was reached for three runs in eight innings of a 3-2 verdict.

Dempster will be opposed tonight by a former teammate in ex-Cub Jason Marquis, who's endured a miserable first season in the nation's capital. The free-agent pickup has lost all six of his starts thus far in 2010 and managed a horrid 11.39 ERA over those games, in addition to missing nearly four months after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his pitching elbow.

Marquis did have an encouraging performance in Philadelphia this past Friday, however, as he held the Phillies to one run on four hits in five innings of work. The right-hander still received a loss, however, when his team was shut out by a 1-0 count.

The 32-year-old went 25-18 for the Cubs during the 2007 and 2008 seasons before matching a career high with 15 wins with Colorado last year. He's 4-6 lifetime versus Chicago with a 4.42 ERA over 13 games (12 starts).

Chicago has now won six straight times over the Nationals in Washington, but dropped two of three tests between the teams in the Windy City back in April.

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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    
7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  
Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.

MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds

According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.

Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet.  The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.

MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.  In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State.  Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.

Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL.  In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.


ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team)
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1



ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1



ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1



ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1

For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.