A's go for quick sweep of Halos at the Coliseum

Baseball Betting Lines

05/17/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics try to jump the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League West standings and complete a two-game sweep of their division foes when they close the brief set tonight at the Coliseum.

Oakland knocked the Halos out of first place in Monday's opener, as Kurt Suzuki slid in safely at home in front of Howie Kendrick's throw from the infield grass in the 10th inning, lifting the A's to a 5-4 win.

The A's tied the game on Daric Barton's RBI single in the ninth and came away with their second win in the last three games in their next at-bat.

After striking out Hideki Matsui on a payoff pitch to start the 10th, Fernando Rodney (2-2) walked Suzuki and Conor Jackson on nine total pitches. On a 2-1 count to Mark Ellis, Rodney threw a wild pitch to move both runners up a base.

Kendrick was shifted from left field to second base as an extra infielder, and Ellis hit a chopper right to him. Running on contact, Suzuki was able to score the deciding run on Kendrick's high and wide throw.

"What a great finish to a tough game," A's manager Bob Geren said. "That was a big win for the team."

A's starter Brett Anderson was charged with three runs on five hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings, while his counterpart, Joel Pineiro, was strong over seven innings, allowing three runs -- only one earned -- on six hits.

With Texas' win over the Chicago White Sox, the Angels fell a half-game back of the Rangers for the division lead. The A's are a game back of Texas and now just a half game behind the Halos.

Hoping to get them even closer in the standings, the A's will rely on left- hander Gio Gonzalez, who will try to bounce back from an ugly outing in his last trip to the hill. Gonzalez allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings to the Ranges on Wednesday, but fortunately the start never counted since the game was called because of rain shortly after he was lifted.

"Obviously, it was a blessing in disguise that would happen. Now you just move forward," Gonzalez said. "It happens to any pitcher: You give up a couple of runs, but it's how they bounce back. This is a situation where I have to bounce back, especially against the Angels. It's not an easy task against a division rival. They're not going to be easy, but as long as I keep my team in the game, that's all that matters."

Aside from that outing in Arlington Gonzalez has been terrific posting a 4-2 mark to go along with a 2.68 ERA. However, one of his few poor showings came against the Angels back on April 25 when he allowed five runs (four earned) and eight hits in five innings. He is 3-2 lifetime against Anaheim with a 3.90 ERA in six starts.

The Angels will counter with rookie Tyler Chatwood, who is 2-1 with a 3.67 ERA. Chatwood has not received a decision in either of his last two starts, but has given up just a run in each outing, spanning 14 1/3 innings.

Chatwood's last win came against the A's back on April 26 when he gave up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings in his only other appearance against the club.

The Angels took two of three from the Athletics at home in late April, giving them a victory in six of the past seven meetings. They did lose six of 10 in Oakland a season ago.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.