Berkman clubs two homers to help Astros crown Royals
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman hit a pair of two-run homers and reached the 1,000 RBI plateau as the Houston Astros edged the Kansas City Royals, 5-4, in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Minute Maid Park.
Kaz Matsui had a sacrifice fly, while Carlos Lee doubled, walked twice and scored three times for the Astros, who managed to avoid being swept in the series. Houston has split its last six games overall.
Brian Moehler worked five innings, but earned a no-decision. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs -- one earned -- on five hits, struck out three and walked a pair. Wesley Wright (2-1) was credited with the win after tossing 1 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and recording four strike outs. Jose Valverde picked up his sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
Mark Teahen finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for Kansas City, which has dropped six of eight.
Brian Bannister (5-5) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on six hits in six innings of work. He fanned three and walked two.
With Kansas City leading 4-3, the Astros went ahead in the sixth when Lee drew a leadoff walk and Berkman cracked his second homer of the game, a shot that just cleared the left-field wall to push Houston in front 5-4.
The Astros bullpen shut down the Royals in the seventh and eighth innings and Valverde came on for the ninth and retired the side in order.
Teahen's RBI single in the top of the second scored Jose Guillen, who led off with a double and took third on a fly ball to give the Royals the early lead. Then in the home half, Lee got the inning started with a two-bagger and crossed the plate on Berkman's blast into the left-field seats.
The Royals plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to grab a brief 3-2 lead. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Mike Jacobs grounded to first. Berkman attempted to get the lead runner at second, but Miguel Tejada was unable to handle the throw and Alberto Callaspo came in to score. Teahen's RBI double brought in another. Matsui's sac fly in the bottom of the frame tied things at 3-3.
A throwing error on Astros catcher Humberto Quintero in the fifth allowed David DeJesus to come in, putting KC back on top.
Game Notes
Kansas City will continue its six-game interleague road trip against Pittsburgh on Friday, while the Astros welcome Detroit to Minute Maid Park for the start of a three-game set...Berkman became the third Astros player to reach the 1,000 RBI mark, joining Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.
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Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.