AL West: Mariners' rotation getting healthy, bats still cold

Baseball Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The imposing starting rotation which Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik dreamt up this offseason is nearly in place.

Former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, acquired in an offseason trade from Philadelphia, made his long-awaited debut on Friday, tossing seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers, striking out eight. Lee, who went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts for the Phillies a year ago, is now fully recovered from an abdominal injury.

Also last week, Erik Bedard threw a 55-pitch bullpen session devoid of any setbacks and could soon be ready to begin a rehab assignment. Bedard had season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum last summer. The Mariners are hopeful Bedard can return to form after posting a 2.82 ERA in 15 starts last year before being shut down. The team is still playing it safe, targeting the end of May for his return

"He looks better than before," manager Don Wakamatsu told the team's Website.

Considering Bedard allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of his 15 starts last season, that's quite a statement.

"It looks like his arm is a little freer, and he's not putting as much stress on it," Wakamatsu continued. "We're pretty excited about that, and we think he is, too. It's one thing to get him back. The second part is to try to keep him from the injuries recurring."

Of course, Seattle still has Felix Hernandez atop the rotation. King Felix allowed five runs in Saturday's 6-3 loss to Texas, breaking a remarkable string of 18 consecutive quality starts (six innings or more, three earned runs or less) dating back to May of last season.

Doug Fister (2-1, 1.29) has shined thus far in his first full season. On Sunday, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Texas and went on to allow just three hits in eight innings. However, the M's lost the game, 3-1, which has been the running theme on the young season. They also spoiled Lee's masterpiece in a 2-0 setback to the Rangers on Friday.

Even without Lee and Bedard for the season's first month, the M's starters still rank second in the American League with a 3.23 combined ERA, behind only Tampa Bay (2.64). Where those two teams differ, however, is in the win-loss column, as the Rays' starters have gone 14-3, while Seattle's starting staff is just 6-7.

Obviously, Seattle's offense has left much to be desired. Only two players are hitting above .250. Situational hitting has been virtually nonexistent. The team went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position during Saturday's 6-3 loss to Texas. Also, the Mariners have a Major League-worst nine home runs on the season, a total which is matched by five individual players across the league. Chicago's Paul Konerko has 12. Then again, maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise when the heart of the order is comprised of Franklin Gutierrez, Jose Lopez and Milton Bradley

In an interview with local reporters over the weekend, Wakamatsu said he has kicked around several potential changes with the lineup, but any help from outside the organization is ultimately up to Zduriencik.

"I think you're going to constantly look," Wakamatsu told the Seattle Times. "The way we're playing right now, we're (two games) out. If that increases, then we're going to look to do something else."

RANGERS SHAKE OFF ADVERSITY, LEAPFROG TO TOP OF AL WEST STANDINGS

Entering play today, only two games separate the first-place Texas Rangers (13-12) and the last-place Seattle Mariners (11-14) in the AL West pecking order.

Thanks to a three-game sweep of the Mariners over the weekend, Texas is now the pace-setter in the division standings. In sweeping that series, the Rangers were able to overcome seven shutout innings against Mariners' starter Cliff Lee on Friday, and eight shutout frames against Doug Fister on Sunday. All told, the Rangers have now won five of their last six, which is quite an accomplishment when you consider some of the injuries the team has had to deal with.

All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler was activated from the disabled list on Friday after missing the first month of the season with a high ankle sprain. In his place, Joaquin Arias hit .321.

All-Star right fielder Nelson Cruz, who is hitting .323 with a team-high seven homers and 17 RBI, was placed on the DL last week with a strained right hamstring. He is expected to be out until mid-May. No worries there, as his replacement, David Murphy drove in the game-tying run in the 9th inning and the game-winning run in the 11th of Sunday's dramatic victory.

And with that, the Rangers have sent a strong message that they don't plan on bowing out when the chips are down.

ANGELS' STARTERS EYEING CONSISTENCY

Considering how tight things are in the AL West standings, it's still too early for Angels' manager Mike Scioscia to worry about his starting rotation. The starters are 9-12 with a combined 4.96 ERA, which ranks fourth-worst in the AL. The only consistent one of the bunch has been Jered Weaver (3-1, 3.19). The rest of the rotation, not so good.

Ervin Santana (1-2, 4.59), Joel Pineiro (2-3, 5.76), Joe Saunders (1-4, 5.74) and Scott Kazmir (2-1, 5.57) have all struggled to get going to this point. However, Scioscia feels it's only a matter of time before things get turned around.

"We haven't seen the level of consistency we want or expect, but that doesn't change our evaluation of what we have," Scioscia told the team's website. "We have good arms down there with really good talent. I feel confident that we will see the rotation more in line with what we saw at the end of last year, when we were really going well."

With the team headed to Boston for Game No. 4 of its 10-game road trip, sooner or later Scioscia will need to start seeing some returns from his starting rotation, which was billed as one of the team's biggest strengths heading into the season.

TIME TO WORRY ABOUT SHEETS?

When Oakland general manager Billy Beane made a play for Ben Sheets in the offseason, the hope was that he'd be getting the starting pitcher who more closely resembled a four-time All-Star, and not the one whose career has been sidetracked by injuries.

But after leaving in the fourth inning of Sunday's start against Toronto, Beane is still waiting for the former version of his new ace to show up. In just 3 1/3 innings, Sheets was charged with nine earned runs on 10 hits against the Blue Jays. He hadn't given up nine runs in a start since August 2005. He also allowed eight extra-base hits, which is believed to be an Oakland record, according to The Oakland Tribune.

Sheets' latest start followed up another ugly outing in Tampa Bay last Tuesday, in which he allowed eight runs on nine hits in just four innings of work. His ERA now stands at 7.12, not what Beane and the front office had in mind.

"My location is terrible," Sheets said after Sunday's meltdown. "You can't throw the ball in the middle of the plate in the big leagues. I don't think I could throw a ball that's not in the middle of the plate to a Little Leaguer right now. They hit the ball hard. Their outs were hard. Everything was hard.

"I wouldn't say my location's been this bad ever since my rookie year. I think if you've got stuff, you can (overcome poor location) a little more. My stuff's not bad, but it's not unbelievable either."

When you're paying someone $10 million to be a 'stopper,' that's certainly not an encouraging sound bite, particularly with the team just wrapping up a 1-5 road trip.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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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

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