AL Central-leading White Sox continue trip in Seattle

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox ended the season's first half as the hottest team in baseball, but things haven't gotten so smoothly since the club returned from the All-Star break.

The American League Central leaders will try to rebound from a shocking late- inning loss on Sunday when they continue their current road trip with tonight's matchup with the Seattle Mariners from Safeco Field.

Chicago won its final eight games prior to the break to vault into first place in the competitive AL Central, then extended its impressive win streak with an 8-7 victory over Minnesota on Thursday. The White Sox then proceeded to lose their next three clashes with the division-rival Twins and are in the midst of their longest skid since a four-game slide from April 15-18.

The White Sox appeared poised to end their winless drought on Sunday, taking a three-run lead into the ninth inning of the finale of the Minnesota series. However, the Twins scored four times off closer Bobby Jenks in their final at- bat to rally for a 7-6 triumph.

Jenks (1-2) entered the bottom of the ninth charged with protecting a 6-3 advantage, but promptly walked the first two batters before surrendering back- to-back RBI singles to Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer. Sergio Santos then came on in relief and walked Jason Repko to load the bases, and Delmon Young followed with a bloop single to tie the score. Center fielder Alex Rios' relay throw missed the cutoff man on the play, allowing Cuddyer to score the winning run from third.

"Just didn't have it," Jenks said afterward. "My cutter was coming back, my sinker wasn't sinking, the slider was big. Just didn't have my stuff today."

Sunday's win moved the Twins within 1 1/2 games of the White Sox in the AL Central standings. Chicago also holds a 1 1/2-game edge on Detroit, which was swept in a four-game set with last-place Cleveland over the weekend.

On a positive note, Chicago's Gordon Beckham went 4-for-4 with two RBI in yesterday's loss to extend his hitting streak to seven games. The sophomore second baseman has gone 12-for-18 at the plate over his last five outings.

The White Sox will turn to youngster Daniel Hudson tonight in hopes of reversing their recent fortunes. The rookie right-hander will be making his second start since being called up from the minors to take the rotation spot of the injured Jake Peavy.

Hudson struggled in his season debut, allowing five runs on six hits and walking three batters before leaving after four innings of a July 11 loss at Kansas City. The 23-year-old had been pitching very well for Triple-A Charlotte prior to the promotion, compiling an 11-4 record with a 3.47 earned run average and 108 strikeouts in 17 starts for the Knights.

A fifth-round selection of Chicago in the 2008 draft, Hudson made six appearances (two starts) for the White Sox last September and went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

He'll be taking on a Seattle club that ranks last in the AL in both runs scored (309) and batting average (.239) and is a woeful 3-12 thus far in July. The Mariners were able to halt a string of four consecutive losses, however, with an extra-inning verdict over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday.

Jose Lopez knocked in the deciding run with a two-out single in the top of the 10th in yesterday's 2-1 win, scoring Franklin Gutierrez from second base. Gutierrez had reached base on a fielder's choice and got into scoring position with a steal of second.

Lopez ended 2-for-5 for the Mariners, who prevailed despite managing only five hits on the afternoon. Starting pitcher Jason Vargas performed well in a no- decision, holding the Angels to a run on four hits and striking out a career- high nine batters in 7 2/3 innings of work.

"I was able to throw quality pitches and I had good control of my changeup," said Vargas. "I knew I had to hold them down to win the game." The Mariners would love to receive a similar showing from David Pauley in tonight's opener of this three-game series. The longtime minor-leaguer is getting a look in the Seattle rotation following the team's recent trade of All-Star Cliff Lee to Texas.

Pauley took Lee's scheduled turn in a July 9 clash against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field and pitched admirably, yielding three runs -- one earned -- and just two hits over five innings. He still wound up with the loss, however, in Seattle's 6-1 setback.

The start was Pauley's first in the majors since September 26, 2008, while then a member of the Boston Red Sox, and sixth of his career. The right-hander is still in search of his initial win at the big-league level, as he's 0-4 with a 7.47 ERA in 13 appearances with the Mariners and Red Sox.

This will be the first-ever encounter with Chicago for Pauley, who threw four scoreless innings over a combined three relief appearances after being recalled from the minors in late June.

The White Sox swept a three-game set from the Mariners in Chicago from April 23-25, but lost four of six bouts between these teams held at Safeco Field last season.

Fpxsports Baseball Betting News

<< Kennison retires as a Chief
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time Kansas City wide receiver Eddie Kennison signed a contract Monday to announce his retirement as a member of the Chiefs. Kennison spent seven of his 13 NFL seasons with the Chiefs, catch

<< Surging Blue Jays to face sliding Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays try to make it four straight wins when they open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals this evening at Kauffman Stadium. The Jays battered the woeful Baltimore Orioles this past weekend,

<< Rays try to get back on track in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wade Davis could be pitching for his spot in the rotation when the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles this evening at Camden Yards. Davis struggled in the first half, going 6-9 with a 4.6

<< Tigers welcome return home to take on Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers are certainly happy to be heading home. They may be even happier to see the Texas Rangers as they kick off a three- game series with the American League West leaders this evening at Comerica Park. Texas

<< Tough week for Yanks ends with a win and major loss
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees organization suffered some big losses off the field last week with the passing of principal owner George Steinbrenner and long-time public address announcer Bob Sheppard, but it was the loss of a pitc

Red Sox limp into Oakland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Boston Red Sox continue to lose ground in the American League playoff chase, the Oakland Athletics are doing their best to stay in the hunt. The resurgent Athletics try to extend their season-best winning streak

Indians hope to continue to play spoiler in Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians may have little hope of finishing in first place in the American League Central, but they've done a fine job of hurting the postseason chances of some of the division's top teams as of late. Riding

Nats try to get bats going against Reds' Cueto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggles on offense cost the Washington Nationals the chance to open the second half with a three-game sweep. Chances at the plate could be hard to come by again tonight against the Cincinnati Reds' Johnny Cueto.

Oosthuizen soars to 15th in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louis Oosthuizen parlayed his first major championship victory into a huge jump in the world rankings. Oosthuizen cruised to a seven-stroke win at the British Open this past weekend and jumped 39 places f

Cubs hope to stay hot versus Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The confidence level in the Windy City has to be high after how easily the Chicago Cubs handled the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies this weekend at Wrigley Field. Chicago's chances of keep

FOOTBALL BETTING LINES

NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting