Angels send Weaver to mound in finale with Royals

Baseball Betting Lines

06/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver can get the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim back to .500 this afternoon when they go for a series win in the finale of their four-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Anaheim, which spent all of May below the break even mark, won for the fourth time in five tries on Wednesday, as Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 with a homer and drove in three runs, helping the Angels to a 7-2 win.

Scott Kazmir was charged with five hits and a run over 5 2/3 innings and won for just the second time in his last seven starts.

All the news was not good for the Angels, though, as outfielder Juan Rivera was forced to leave the game in the fifth inning after fouling a ball off his foot the inning before. X-Rays taken after the game were inconclusive and he is listed as day-to-day.

Kyle Davies (4-4) allowed eight hits and six runs over four-plus innings for the Royals, who lost for the fourth time in five games overall.

"I keyholed myself a little bit," Davies said. "I tried to be perfect the rest of the game and I never got in synch. Command never got to where it was supposed to be and they hit me pretty good."

David DeJesus had a pair of hits and drove in a run for Kansas City, which has lost 11 of its last 13 games against the Angels.

Weaver, meanwhile, is winless in his last four starts and comes into today's finale sporting a 4-2 mark to go along with a 3.01 ERA. Weaver allowed just an unearned run in seven innings in his last trip to the hill on Saturday against Seattle, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 5-1, 10-inning win.

The 27-year-old righty is 3-4 in seven starts against the Royals with a 3.35 ERA in seven starts.

Kansas City's hopes rest on the right arm of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, who has lost his last two starts and is just 1-6 on the year with a 3.39 ERA. Greinke pitched well in Boston on Saturday, surrendering a run and five hits in six innings, but his team could not muster a run in the 1-0 setback.

Greinke, who has allowed three runs or less in all but two of his 11 starts this season, is just 1-3 lifetime against the Angels with a 3.89 ERA in six games (five starts).

The Angels have dominated this series of late, having won 14 of their 17 most recent matchups with the Royals. They also have just three losses in their last 13 trips to Kansas City.

Wwwroyalsports Baseball Betting News

<< Rangers aim for rare road sweep of White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers take aim at their first three-game sweep in Chicago in 24 years this evening when they wrap up their set against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Texas moved to the brink of a sweep on Wednesday

<< Mariners go for series win over Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after the best player in the history of their franchise called it a career, the Seattle Mariners will try for a series win when they close out a four-game set against the Minnesota Twins tonight at Safeco

<< Sizzling Braves head out west to battle Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves bring their rags to riches story to the west coast and will begin an 11-game road trip tonight with the first of four straight meetings with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ra

<< Astros try for series win over Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros hope to post their second winning series in more than a month when they close out a four-game set Thursday afternoon versus the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park. After losing the opener of this s

<< Brewers' Capuano concludes long road back to majors vs. Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There isn't anything that strikes fear into pitchers more than the words Tommy John. The former major leaguer is more known for having a ligament replacement procedure in his name rather than 20-plus years of service and 2

Summer Bird retired from racing >>
Stanton, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion colt Summer Bird has been retired from racing and will enter stud service. Trainer Tim Ritchey made the announcement Thursday at Delaware Park. Ritchey said that the four-year-old has been retired b

Redskins make offer to RB Westbrook >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have reportedly made a formal contract offer to running back Brian Westbrook. According to The Washington Post, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan confirmed the team made an o

Ravens sign PK Graham >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens made it official Thursday and signed kicker Shayne Graham to a one-year contract. The 32-year-old had been with Cincinnati since the 2003 season and was a 2005 Pro Bowl selection

Former Hofstra coach Joe Gardi dies >>
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Hofstra University football coach Joe Gardi died Wednesday following a stroke suffered last week. He was 71 years old. Gardi compiled a 119-62-2 record in 16 seasons at Hofstra from 1990 to 2005. Both

Men's semis set for Friday in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The men's French Open semifinals will be staged on Friday, as second-seeded Spanish star Rafael Nadal will take on 22nd-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer and fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling will face 15th-seed

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.