Canadian MLB Report: Axford making most of chance

Baseball Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Multiple Canadian-born hurlers were supposed to be impact pitchers for their respective teams in 2010, but the first half of the year didn't exactly reflect those predictions. On the other hand, some have stepped up and assumed new roles, exceeding expectations by putting together a strong first half.

All John Axford has done so far this year is stave off Trevor Hoffman, the all- time saves leader, for the closer's role in Milwaukee. The Brewers' new stopper has not allowed a run since the All-Star break, collecting three saves and lowering his ERA to 2.70 in the process. While the intention of the Brewers organization may not have been for Axford to assume the closer role on a full-time basis, he's making their decision easier than anticipated. Alford is sporting a 1.17 WHIP, a K/9 ratio of 11.40 and has yet to blow a save this entire season.

He may not be the prettiest at times, but Blake Hawksworth continues to start for the St. Louis Cardinals since taking over the fifth spot in the rotation for the injured Brad Penny. The sophomore threw out of the bullpen to start the year, a role he assumed last season as well, but has gone 3-1 with a no- decision in his last five outings. Hawksworth's 4-5 record, 4.85 ERA and 1.77 WHIP may not be overly impressive, but the 27-year-old is soaking up innings for a Cardinals team that is battling for the National League Central division with the Cincinnati Reds. The North Vancouver native has allowed three runs or less in four of his last five starts, and should continue to get the ball until if/or when the Cardinals supplant him in the rotation.

Ryan Dempster, who has turned into Canada's marquee starting pitcher in the big leagues, has boasted impressive stats while playing for one of the league's most underachieving teams. The Chicago Cubs right-hander continues to reinforce his reputation as a workhorse, and has pitched well this season for a staff that sits 10 games under .500.

Dempster's eight complete games are tops in the NL and his 130 strikeouts are good for eighth in the league. Dempster is coming off his worst outing in over a month, however, as the four earned runs he surrendered snapped a consecutive streak of eight straight games without allowing more than three earned runs. The 33-year-old is not showing meaningful signs of letdown though, boasting a deceiving 8-7 record, with a 3.70 ERA, while on his way to a third consecutive season of over 200 innings pitched, (133.2 to date).

With speculation that his rotation spot may be in jeopardy, Jeff Francis picked a good time to have a strong outing against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The Colorado Rockies left-hander blanked the Nationals over seven innings, striking out seven in the process, while holding them to three hits, en route to his third victory of the season. Before this start, Francis had allowed 16 runs over his last 12 innings, a span which covered three games. Francis was the ace of the 2007 NL pennant-winning Rockies, but after shoulder surgery which cost him the entire 2009 season, he's now fighting just to get the ball every fifth day. With more performances like his most recent one, when he effectively used his changeup as an "out" pitch, Francis could be a key contributor down the stretch for a Rockies team fighting for a postseason berth.

INJURY UPDATE

Seattle Mariners left-hander Erik Bedard will now be facing an even longer road to recovery than what was previously expected. After throwing successful rehab assignments in June, Bedard subsequently felt discomfort in his surgically- repaired shoulder that will require him to be re-examined, further prolonging his return to the big leagues. The 31-year-old has been plagued with injuries throughout his career and has not thrown at the major league level since last July. Until further evaluation, the Canadian's immediate status is currently unknown.

Rich Harden, the Texas Rangers' biggest pitching acquisition of the offseason, is once again dealing with injuries. The talented right-hander is on the DL with a non-arm-related injury (glute) but is on his way to a fifth straight season of logging less than 150 innings.

Harden, who when healthy racks up strikeouts and at times can be dominant, could prove to be a formidable sidekick to Cliff Lee down the stretch run if he can stay off the shelf. A player of Harden's capabilities should be able to turn it around despite sporting a career worst 5.68 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. The oft-injured 28-year-old could return to the big league club as early as next week.

Www3sex Baseball Betting News

<< Wigan inks midfielder McArthur
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Promising Hamilton midfielder James McArthur has joined Wigan for an undisclosed transfer fee. The 22-year-old has penned a four-year contract at the DW Stadium, where he will team up with former Accies c

<< Gaming: Can the WAC maintain its ATS Superiority?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last season was quite a turnaround for the Western Athletic Conference, as the league's nine teams covered 21 of their 36 non-conference games (with two pushes) for an impressive 61% winning percentage.

<< AL Central: White Sox GM Williams exploring limited trade options
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Chicago White Sox continue to try and fend off Detroit and Minnesota in the American League Central standings, all eyes are on general manager Kenny Williams to make something happen before next Saturda

<< White Sox' Buehrle tries to end longtime woes against A's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though they still own the best record in baseball since June 9, the Chicago White Sox have hit a bit of a rough patch of their last few games. The timing couldn't be worse for starter Mark Buehrle, who has yet to taste succes

<< Rays hope to end epic winless drought in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trying to remain in the hunt for first place in the American League East, one would think the Tampa Bay Rays would welcome a trip to Cleveland to face the last-place Indians. Problem is, Tampa Bay hasn't won in 17 straight

Cubs activate P Schlitter; option P Stevens >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have activated right-handed pitcher Brian Schlitter from the 15-day disabled list. He was placed on the DL on July 7, retroactive to July 3, with a right shoulder impingement. Sch

Bengals sign third-round pick Ghee >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have signed cornerback Brandon Ghee, the team's third-round draft choice. He was the 96th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. The 6-0, 192-pound Ghee made 56 tackles,

Wanted: A must-see player for Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rapper Young Jeezy once boasted that mentioning his name would bring an entire city out. That same drawing power can be heralded by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and a just handful of other players in the NBA.

Sunderland completes Bramble capture >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is adamant that the capture of Titus Bramble is a great deal for the club after completing the signing of the Wigan defender on a three-year deal. Bramble played

Tennessee Titans 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 31st SITE: Baptist Sports Park, Nashville, TN CAMP OBJECTIVES: With the Chris Johnson drama having been extinguished by the extra money the Titans put in his pocket earlier this week, Jeff Fisher can


Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Why Sports Betting is so much fun?

Betting Sports

The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)

But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)

Points (or Runs) Scored

Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.

The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.

Future Bets

Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.

Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)

Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:

Types of Bets

Straight Bet

Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.

Sports Betting Parlays

A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.

Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.

Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.

Round Robin Betting

Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.

Betting Teasers

Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.

These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!

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