Canadian MLB Report: Votto powering Reds' hot start

Baseball Betting Lines

05/25/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A strong start to the season from Joey Votto has helped the Cincinnati Reds sit atop the National League Central division standings through the first 45 games of the season. The Reds tied the St. Louis Cardinals for the division lead after a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday night.

Through weekend play, Votto was hitting .307 with 10 homers, 33 runs batted in and a .406 on-base percentage. He ranks in the top 10 in the NL in home runs, on-base percentage, and walks. The 26-year-old is leading the Reds in all four of the above categories, in turn cementing himself as the centerpiece of the franchise.

Votto has also made a habit this year of delivering in the clutch. He is batting .356 with runners in scoring position, firmly entrenching himself as the No. 3 hitter in the Reds' order.

Cincinnati's second-round draft pick in 2002 will be in line for a big payday when his current contract runs out, as he continues to emerge into one of the league's elite first basemen.

SURGING

Jason Bay: All Bay needed was a new calendar month or, perhaps, more time to get used to the new environs of Citi Field. Either way, the month of May has been much more pleasant to Bay than his first in a Mets uniform. Bay has recorded a hit in 15 of his last 17 games, a stretch that included an 11-game hit streak. Bay, who is currently hitting .350 in May, has raised his team- leading average to .307.

The three-time All-Star also helped propel the Mets to a series victory over their cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees, in interleague play this past weekend. Bay went 7-for-10 in the three-game set, amassing four extra base hits along the way, including two home runs in the series finale Sunday night.

Mark Teahen: The White Sox starting third baseman extended his hit streak to seven games after going 3-for-4 with three RBI Monday night against the Cleveland Indians. Teahen is in year one of a three-year deal he signed with Chicago in the offseason, after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals. During the streak, Teahen has seen his batting average rise by 30 points and is currently batting .248 with two homers and 11 RBI through 40 games.

A MAJOR RETURN

Jeff Francis: Francis followed up his solid 2010 debut with another strong start this past weekend, winning his first MLB game since 2008. The southpaw has allowed only one run in 13.1 innings of work to start the season. The 29- year-old is well on his way to a successful comeback, as he attempts to ease the load staff ace Ubaldo Jimenez has been carrying and help the Rockies reach the postseason for the third time in four years.

George Kottaras: Kottaras has assumed the role of starting catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers since Gregg Zaun was placed on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. The Scarborough, Ont. native has shown some pop over 49 at bats this season, as nine of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases, including three homers and 11 RBI. Despite hitting .245, Kottaras is sporting a .443 OBP.

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Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is 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.

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