That, folks, is an astonishing 93% and I can live with those numbers any time of the year. Andruw Jones was 5-for-5 with two homers and matched his career high with six RBIs helping the Braves to become the first team since the ‘30 Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games with a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Adam LaRoche, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann also homered for the Braves who have scored 65 runs during an offensive explosion that includes two 15-run games. The last time the franchise reached double figures in five straight games was in 1897 when the Braves were called the Beaneaters and they totaled 61 runs.

The 65 runs in five games is the best by the franchise since those same Beaneaters totaled 78 including 25 in one game and 21 in another from May 31-June 3. The Braves have 81 hits during their five-game run and 98 in their last six going back to an 8-3 victory over Cincinnati on July 9 which is the last game before the All-Star break.

Chipper Jones was 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, all but four multihit efforts. He’s batting .534 (39-for-73) during the streak with eight homers and 23 RBIs.

During their six-game winning streak they’ve outscored their opponents 77-32 and they’ve hit 19 homers in the last five games — the most for the franchise in a five-game span and only two off the major league record set by the 1977 Boston Red Sox and 1999 Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals lost 15-3 in the opener of the three-game series on Monday and trailed 13-1 in the fifth Tuesday, a two-game sequence reminiscent of blowout losses to the Chicago White Sox by 20-6 and 13-5 on June 20-21.

After ripping starters Jeff Weaver and Jason Marquis, Atlanta faces Chris Carpenter (8-4, 2.85 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale. He beat the Braves on July 4 by holding them to two runs and four hits in five innings of a 6-3 road win, his first victory in four career starts against Atlanta.

Carpenter is going for his third straight win after striking out seven in pitching a two-hitter in the Cardinals’ 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

If you’re into sports betting and winning, play the over!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Minnesota (59-41) has won 34 of 42 since June 8 to cut what was an 11-game deficit in the wild card to a half-game.

“We’re just playing really good baseball,” said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team was 25-33 nearly seven weeks ago. “People keep talking about the streak we’re on, but streaks don’t last two months or a month and a half.”

The Twins caught the struggling Chicago White Sox, who have led the wild-card race for most of the season, by completing a three-game sweep with a 7-4 victory Wednesday. Minnesota and Chicago are right behind the New York Yankees, who open a three-game home set against Tampa Bay on Friday night.

The Tigers under veteran skipper Jim Leyland have maintained their composure and now must deal with the newest phenom in the American League and that would be none other then rookie pitcher Francisco Liariano. The Twins look to keep rolling Friday behind Liriano (12-2, 1.93 ERA), who pitched poorly against the Tigers in two relief outings this season, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings for a 17.18 ERA.

Since being moved into the rotation, though, the rookie left-hander has become a leading contender for the CY Young Award, going 11-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 starts. Minnesota is 2-7 this season against Detroit and has been outscored 64-25. In a three-game sweep from April 28-30 at Comerica Park, the Twins were outscored 33-1. The Tigers (68-33) have the best record in the major leagues, and their 30-13 mark against divisional opponents is also tops in baseball. Detroit leads the AL Central by 8 1/2 games over Minnesota and Chicago.

The question mark for all contending teams is the starting pitching and the Tigers send a struggling Zach Miner to the hill tonight. Miner has lasted only 6 2-3 combined innings and given up 10 earned runs in losing both of his starts since the break. In his first seven starts after being recalled in early June, the right-hander was 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA and didn’t allow more than three runs in a game.

Detroit gave Miner a five-run lead after one inning Saturday against Oakland, but he surrendered five runs in the top of the second and was pulled after a season-low 2 1-3 innings of a 9-5 loss.
Detroit has lost 9 of the past 12 in Minnesota and will be a dog tonight!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Let’s start with the glamour division and of course I am referring to the American League East where the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been trading punches since the opening week of April and George’s boys are now sitting in the penthouse.

Lurking down in the lobby are the Toronto Blue Jays who have fought off injuries to their starting pitching staff, with superb hitting and are 32-25 and are just three games back. Toronto has made it clear from the get go, that they will spend money during the season in order to contend.

In the AL Central my 9-1 betting bonanza and that would be the 2005 Chicago White Sox are scuffling a bit after a torrid start and presently trail the Motown Detroit Tigers. The Tigers began the first 50 games under Jim Leyland in spectacular fashion, but injuries are beginning to hit them, with the latest being to Pudge Rodriguez.

At 28-29 the Cleveland Indians will make a move at some point and placing a few bucks on them, could provide you with a nice return on your dollar. The AL West with Texas, Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles is a crapshoot, with only 5.5 games separating the VIP section and the cheap seats. The first place Rangers incidentally are the only team in the West with a winning mark in games played within the division and against the powerful AL East and you cannot ignore that vital gambling statistic.

The New York Mets like their neighbors the Yankees like to throw the money around and they sit atop the NL East presently, but the Phillies and Braves can almost reach out and touch them. With 14 straight division titles, I certainly would think about a wagering a few bucks on them to win once again.

The Cardinals are suddenly trying to ward off the Cincinnati Reds who are getting healthy and pounding the ball. The Cardinals meanwhile have all kids of injury issues with Pujols and ace Chris Carpenter does not look stable.

Just like their counterparts in the AL West, the NL West Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Rockies are in a fierce battle for supremacy. Just six games separate the top and bottom, with Arizona leading the pack. The Dodgers are getting superb play out of Garciaparra and if their veterans can stay healthy, watch out!

Bob Acton

Current baseball betting lines

We have very similar thoughts about comparing ballpark statistics. There are some stadiums that could be classified as “pitchers’ ballparks” while others could reasonably be labeled more friendly to hitters.

Yet again, we have to give props to the four-letter evil empire ESPN. In their fantasy baseball section, they have a straight-forward “Park Factor” that compares that rate of stats at home versus the rate of stats on the road. A rate that is higher than 1.000 favors the hitter, with lower than 1.000 favoring the pitcher.

Still, statistical reliability would assume the quality of the opponent has been equal at home and on the road. Random chance indicates some teams will face or use a disproportionate number of aces and No. 2 starters in one location. This deviation is just one example.

Then there is wind direction. Perhaps several teams have had the wind blowing in straight from center a higher percentage while other squads has an overbalanced number blowing out to leftfield.

Why, according the ESPN Ballpark Factor, is Boston the top hitters’ park this year, but was 13th last season?
As of this writing, Rogers Centre in Toronto is the second best pitchers park, yet last year it was a hitters paradise ranking 7th in hitting (24th pitching).

Petco Park is a rare exception. They are currently the top pitcher’s ball orchard after finishing first each of the previous three years and third in 2003.

So how do the elite gamblers use the stats? To measure the reliability of pitchers’ splits is how we employ them. For example, virtually every Padre is going to have statistically better stats at home than on the road. The fact that Chris Young, Greg Maddux, and

David Wells have significantly better stats at home than on the road proves to be the rule, not the exception. Hence the educated eye realizes there is not an angle in their respective splits.

Yet Jake Peavy is actually a better pitcher on the road than at home. This is an advantage for the gambler. A pitcher’s splits are most effective when measured against the ballpark stats.

Is there an edge for the over/under better? Often short-term, but rarely is the edge long-term as the sportsbooks adjust. As of June 19, the Padres last eight road games and 11-of-12 has seen a posted total of 8.0 or higher.
Yet 15 of their last 18 home games have seen a total of 7.5 or lower. Thinking somehow the sportsbooks are oblivious to such angles is one way for a gambler to subsidize bookmakers.

The Park Factor statistic is a valuable handicapping weapon, but more for statistical validation. Those who think they’ve found the Holy Grail with stadium comparisons are not in the same ballpark as the sharpies.
Brand new features: live odds, matchups from StatFox and Sports DataBases, injuries, free picks and more. Click here. Approved sportsbooks are at www.linetrackers.com

In fact not only is Clint Hurdle’s team +112 tonight, the over/under is 9 and that is surprising considering the fact that the A’s have not scored a run in 22 innings.

Barry Zito seeks to win his sixth straight start on Wednesday as Oakland tries to salvage the finale of a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field. Zito (8-3, 3.51 ERA) is 6-0 with a 3.28 ERA over his last seven starts, including victories in each of his last five. The left-hander pitched eight strong innings on Friday, giving up three runs and eight hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters in a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies (36-35) have never seen, as Zito has never faced Colorado.

The Rockies have now recorded four shutout wins at Coors Field this season, the most in a single season in that stadium’s history. Colorado also registered shutouts on consecutive days at home for the first time in the 14-year history of the franchise.

Slumping third baseman Eric Chavez went 0-for-3 on Tuesday. Chavez is 6-for-39 over his last 11 games, dropping his average from .285 to .262. Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay returned to the lineup and went 0-for-4 after missing the previous five games with back spasms. Kotsay had hit safely in his previous eight games, batting .333 (11-for-33)!

The Numbers Favor Colorado!

Matt Holliday is batting .462 (24-for-52) with 14 runs scored over his last 13 games for Colorado, which is 5-0 in interleague play this year. The left fielder is 9-for-18 with five runs scored against AL opponents this season.

Manager Hurdle plans to give right-handed hitters Choo Freeman and Ryan Spilborghs starts in the outfield on Wednesday in place of left-handers.

Brad Hawpe and Cory Sullivan and the Rockies are 7-3 against left-handed starters this season.

Colorado’s Jamey Carroll is hitting .423 over the past 14 games after going 2-for-3 against the A’s. … Oakland’s pinch hitters were 0-for-2, stretching the A’s hitless streak to 29 at-bats over spanning two seasons, including 0-for-19 this year.

Dare I suggest Colorado wins 6-0!

Online Sports Betting

In Germany there will be 12 stadiums, hosting 64 games that will put 3 million derrieres in the seat and the host country tackles Costa Rica on day one. Staggering numbers reveal 1.5 BILLION people will watch the opening match and 35 BILLION will take in the tournament and wagering outlets will be staffed to the maximum.

The Belmont Stakes from New York will wrap up a disappointing Triple Crown series that gave us the wonder horse Barbaro and then shattered our dreams with a freakish injury. I have been touting Bon & John all spring and like him in an exacter with Steppenwolfer that was named after the 70’s rock band Steppenwolf.

Last night the Dallas Mavericks got subpar scoring games from stars Dirk Nowitzkie and Josh Howard, but Jason Terry lit the Heat up for 32 points. They also got some quality minutes from Eric Dampier to subdue the listless Heat. Once again the fragile foul shooting of NBA players is alarming and how are you going to win when just two players on the team get to the charity stripe. Shooting 36% (7-19) on a skill that you have practiced since kindergarten is perplexing to say the least.

The Edmonton Oilers are in serious trouble down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes and look for the Chris Pronger team to lay a beating on the North Carolina based Canes. This series is far from over and I look for it to go the full seven.

All baseball eyes are on the Chicago Cubs who are floundering and this may result in the dusting of manager Dusty Baker. The Cubs have lost 11 of their last 16 overall, falling 12 1/2 games out of first place. At 23-36, they’ve matched their season low mark of 13 games under .500.

For the Cubs, it was another night of futile at-bats against the Reds Brandon Arroyo and two relievers. Chicago has lost three in a row, getting a total of 15 hits and two runs in those games.

The PGA tour is in Rye, New York for the Barclay Classic a tuneup for the US Open and Tiger Woods is resurfacing. The nine-week layoff is the longest of his career, and Woods said he isn’t sure what to expect out of his game. But having playing 18 holes at Winged Foot on May 27, he knows what to expect from the course.

Mike Weir is in striking distance after round one and you may want to place a bet on him to win this weekend.

NASCAR parks their trailers in the picturesque Pocono’s this weekend and the Roush team as usual will be front and centre as they have won the past two events staged there.

Happy Wagering!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

1. The amount of the bid

2. The kind of bet

3. The odds on offer

Sportsbooks in the US and Bookmakers in UK are entities that accept sports bets. The bets can be placed predicting the outcome of several sporting events like Baseball, Snooker, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Football, Tennis and hundreds of other sports and atheletic activities. Just to cover some basic definitions: a sportsbook is the one that accepts the sports bet. An oddsmaker is the one who sets the odds of betting.

Betting the Odds
In order to place a bet, you must first select the type of bet and the amount you will wager. This naturally will depend upon the odds that are being offered. Before you go ahead and place the bet, carefully scrutinize the range of available odds.

The odds must be in the ratio of at least 2:1 for the bet to be worthwhile. Another factor that must be taken into account is the amount being given by way of commission to the sports-book. This ideally should be a minimal percentage of the total value of the odds.

Given below is a list of some common kinds of bets:

1. Single or Straight Bet: This is betting in its most basic form and allows you to bet at given odds, upon a winner.

2. Point Spread: Under this bet one can bet on one of two selections that have been equated through the allocation of suitable points. In the Point Spread the number of allocated points are shown with a + sign for the favorable side and a – sign for the underdog. In order that the better wins, the favored team must win by more than the Point Spread. On the flip side, if a bet has been placed on the underdog, that team has to lose by less than the Point Spread for the better to win.

3. Buy Points: This involves moving the Point Spread positively, by paying a price.

4. The Moneyline: This type of bet is simply on who will win. It establishes the odds for each side but is the reverse of the Point Spread, with a – sign standing for the favorite and the + sign for the underdog.

5. Total Bet: This is similar to point spread bets, only in that the better bets on the total points scored.

6. Over/ Under: This is a bet as per which the number of points scored by the teams in any game will be beyond/ over OR below/ under the total set by the oddsmaker.

7. Parlay of Accumulator: This is a way of betting on multiple sporting events in the hope that a big payoff will be made if all win. The picks made are in relation to the point spread. Even if one event does not win or draw, the better loses the entire bet. Huge amounts can be made through parlay betting, in the event of a win.

8. Teaser: A teaser is similar to a parlay, however it has the option of adding or taking off points from one or more than one Spread bets. The odds depend upon the number of points the spread is moved as well as upon the number of teams that are combined to form the teaser.

9. Futures: These are bets on who will win the championship in the event that there are more than two possible teams to bet on. Substantial variations between sportbooks exist in house edge on futures.

10. Buying Half a Point: In this, the straight bet player gets the option of moving the point spread half point to his advantage. The most appropriate time to buy a half point is when one team is favored by 2.5, 3, 6.5 or 7 in football. This is primarily due to the fact that several games end in a 3 or 7 point difference. The extra half point may end up turning a loss to a draw or a draw to a win.

Of all these types of bets, three types of bets are prominent and must be used for the simple reason that they are simple themselves, are easy to win and have a good chance of winning. These are the Straight bet, the Doubles and the Future.

Here are a few Betting tips that will help you to place the Best Bets and push you towards a big win, they are:

1. Always make an intelligent analysis of the odds and the offer of the bet.

2. For a simple bet, stick to the Straight bet as it is non-complicated and has good winning prospects.

3. Bet wisely by keeping your selections limited. Also try to limit the influence of bias in your betting. If you are a fan of a team try to limit the effect of that favoritism when betting.

4. One of the most rewarding bets is the ‘Future’ bet but only if you know a lot about the sport being played and about the players.

5. By betting regularly though systematically and in an analytical manner, one can improve your judgmental ability.

6. Contain the urge to bet with you winnings immediately. If you do not follow the standard rule of 50%, at least put some of your winnings back into your pocket.

7. Make sure your sportsbook is a member of a known Gambling Association, makes a quick payment and is easily accessible. Read in between the lines, about matters pertaining to disputes.

8. Train yourself to look for value odds – you will master this art soon, with time and practice.

9. If deciding between two seemingly equivalent choices, trust your judgment and not that of those who have bet before you. In so doing, choose a selection with a little higher risk so as to hike up the winnings.

10. Bet on games and leagues where the sportsbook’s commission is the least. This is often in the sport or sports with which that sportsbook does most of its business, as it is likely the most efficient in that area.

Money Management

It’s amazing how many people gamble and don’t think, for even one second, about money management. You wouldn’t go on a trip without thinking about what you want to do right? Then why gamble without a goal? When you go on a trip, is your goal to simply go on a trip? Of course it’s not. You at least decide on a destination, time of stay and so forth.

Before you gamble, you should have some goals in mind. Here’s a quick list of a couple goals you want to define.

1.What is your total bankroll for the gambling session?
2.If I am ahead $X, I will leave.
3.If I lose X% of my bankroll, I will leave or I will leave once my bankroll is gone.
4.I will devote most of my time to playing [ insert game ].
5.While playing [ insert game ], my average bet will be around $x.

Defining these five goals will help you keep organized and focused.

Value

The sharp gambler stay way from bets that are for suckers. He or she is only concerned with getting good value. Here’s a list of key bets and activities to stay away from.

1.Slot Machines – The payback percentage is poor.
2.Roulette – Huge house advantage.
3.Proposition bets in Craps.
4.Parlay cards in sports betting that contain a large amount of selections.
5.The insurance bet in Blackjack.
6.The tie bet in Baccarat.
7.Caribbean Stud Poker, which has a large house advantage.
8.Bingo

There’s no law against playing the above items from time to time, but you have to do it in moderation and not make these items part of your main betting activities.

Knowledge
This is one of those factors that separate the long-term winning gamblers from the consistently losing gamblers. If you are going to wager on something, you should know all you can about it. Study the game, learn the tricks and understand everything about it. By being knowledgeable in the game, you will know how to maximize your wagers and your time.

Pick a game you want to play and follow this guide to become a guru.

1.First, research the game by typing in the name at your local search engine. Look for how-to-play articles, tips and strategy. You will find many free resources out there.
2.Find an online casino that offers play money games and go practice what you have learned. If are learning about sports betting or horse racing, find a sports book to get odds from and play bet.
3.Visit your bookstore and look for books on the subject. Sit down at the store and read a little.

Keep reading and searching for the area(s) you like and soon you will become a very sharp player. Knowledge is power, especially in the gambling world.

By improving yourself in these three areas, you will have a great possibility of winning more consistently and you will have more fun because you are organized, focused and education.

Game three goes tonight at the Staples Center where the Suns are brimming with confidence after winning a sudden death game last week against the Lakers. They are a tough team to figure out as they can light it up from three-point range, but on the other hand, because of lack of size, can be bullied around.

The Clippers outrebounded the Suns 57-26 and they were 27-14 during the regular season at the Staples Center, as well as 3-0 against the Nuggets in round one! If you want to look at one matchup that could prove to be a deciding factor, Phoenix guard Raja Bell going up against LA’s Cuttino Mobley.

Bell who was at the center of the controversy in his battle with Kobe Bryant in round one, was stellar in the first game, when he held Mobley to 3 points. In game two Mobley scored 22 and the Clippers had both an inside and outside game.

Veteran point guard Sam Cassell’s has an NBA ring and he looks to be pumped in this series, probably due to the fact that MVP Nash is garnering all the attention. He is a motor-mouth that can change the complexion of the game with his leadership ability and antics.

I buried the Suns a week ago and had harsh words for their whiner coach D’Antoni and I see Brand and Chris Kaman being far too much for the soft Suns to handle.

The Clippers take game two by 6 points!

Online Sports Betting

In his third minor league rehabilitation start, Colon gave up six earned runs and nine hits against the Fresno Grizzlies. In three starts for the Angels this season, Colon is 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA and they are going to send down their best pitcher to accommodate him.

Jered Weaver, the Angels’ first-round draft pick in June 2004, reduced his ERA to 1.37 and became the second pitcher in franchise history to win his first four major league starts on Tuesday night. The other was Bo Belinsky, who won his first five starts in 1962 and finished his rookie season 10-11. Whether that’s enough to keep Weaver up in the bigs is another story. He has allowed just four earned runs, 16 hits and four walks in his 26 1-3 innings of work — and has received a total of 30 runs of support from his teammates.

The player who should be sent down is Weaver’s brother Jeff Weaver who is 3-9 with an embarrassing ERA of 6.15, but is earning $8.3 million.

The Angels are lucky to have Orlando Cabrera in the lineup as this guy has been incredible. Cabrera has reached base in 43 consecutive games without the benefit of a fielder’s choice, the longest current streak in baseball and longest in club history. He has hit safely in 27 of his last 31 contests and is 25-for-54 over his last 14 games, raising his average from .271 to .313.

When the LA Dodgers acquired Brad Penny a couple of years ago, much was expected of the hard throwing righthander, but some arm ailments affected him and he was just 7-9 in 2005. Already in 2006 he has equaled his 2005 total. Penny (7-1, 2.34 ERA) is 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA over seven starts since his lone loss of the season at Arizona on May 1. He also hasn’t allowed a home run in 10 outings since April 14.

The right-hander enters tonight’s start with a scoreless streak of 14 1-3 innings after a victory at Colorado on Friday. He surrendered five hits over 8 1-3 innings in a 3-0 win.

Padres catcher Mike Piazza, a former Dodger who is hitless in his last nine at-bats, is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with three homers and 12 RBIs in his career against Penny. Piazza is hitting just .188 at home this season.

The Colorado Rockies look to win three straight road games for the first time since April when they continue a four-game series against the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium on Wednesday.

The Rockies (32-32) opened the season winning 10 of their first 13 road games, but have gone just 6-13 away from Denver since May 1. Still, Colorado is 16-16 on the road this season — a huge improvement over last season’s 27-54 mark.

Garrett Atkins had a double and scored two runs, and is batting .395 (17-for-43) with seven runs, five doubles and nine RBIs during a season-high 12-game hitting streak.

Washington will counter with Tony Armas (6-3, 3.48), who has won six of his last seven decisions. He allowed three runs and six hits in five innings in a 9-8, 12-inning win over Philadelphia on Friday, but did not receive a decision.

The Nationals have won in six of his last seven starts.

Armas is just 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in six starts at RFK, and has pitched five or fewer innings in three of his last four home starts, posting a 7.13 ERA in those games.

The right-hander is 2-2 with a 7.39 ERA in seven starts against the Rockies, but went 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two starts against them last season.

We told you what to expect this year from over the hill Randy Johnson and he has failed to earn his salary in 2006. Johnson (7-5, 5.63 ERA) was hit hard again his last time out, allowing six runs and six hits over four innings of a 6-5 loss to Oakland on Friday. He gave up three more homers, a season high, to bring his total for the year to 15.

The Big Unit has surrendered 10 homers in his last 33 1-3 innings spanning six starts, doing nothing to dispel the notion that his dominance may be fading at age 42. Last year, he gave up a career-high 32 homers in his first season with New York.

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting