AL West-leading Rangers aim to snap skid in Baltimore

Baseball Betting Lines

08/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers try to snap a three-game losing streak this evening when they open a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

After splitting a two-game set with the New York Yankees, then taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox, the Rangers' recent success against the American League East ran out this week, as they were swept in three games by the Tampa Bay Rays, falling 8-6 in Wednesday's finale at Tropicana Field.

Mitch Moreland clubbed a two-run homer and Taylor Teagarden contributed a solo shot for the AL West-leading Rangers, who have dropped five of seven and sit eight games in front of both Anaheim and Oakland in the division.

Derek Holland (2-2), who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to the game to make the start in place of Rich Harden, yielded five runs on six hits with four walks and struck out eight over 4 1/3 innings.

A series against the woeful Baltimore Orioles could be just what the Rangers need. However, it was the Orioles who handed Texas its longest losing streak of the year earlier in the season when it swept a four-game set in Arlington just before the All-Star break.

Texas is actually just 4-12 against teams from the AL East on the road with all four victories coming at Fenway Park.

Hoping to avoid another four-game slide for the Rangers tonight will be righty Colby Lewis, who has lost his last four decisions. Lewis' latest setback came on Saturday against the Red Sox, despite a solid effort that saw him surrender a run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-1 loss. Lewis also struck out nine, but still fell to 9-9, while lowering his earned run average to 3.28.

"It is what it is," Lewis said. "You just roll with the punches. I'm used to one-run games. Last year I was 11-9 in Japan with a [2.96] ERA. That's the way it goes. If you do what you can to keep your team in the game, you're doing your job. That's the way it is."

Lewis will be making his second start against the Orioles and is 0-1 in three appearances against them with a 6.75 ERA.

Baltimore will counter with young lefty Brian Matusz, who is 4-12 with a 5.28 ERA. Matusz absorbed the loss on Saturday against the Rays, who battered him for five runs and nine hits in just four innings.

Matusz has faced the Rangers three times and is 1-1, despite a 10.95 ERA.

The Orioles enter tonight's opener on the heels of dropping two of three to the Seattle Mariners, culminating with a 6-5 loss in Wednesday's rubber match.

Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer and Luke Scott added a two-run single for the Orioles, who have dropped five of seven. Jeremy Guthrie (7-12) was charged with six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits over eight innings.

"It came down to a couple of pitches," Guthrie said. "It's unfortunate on a night like this that I couldn't pitch better."

Still and all, the Orioles are 10-6 in 16 games under new manager Buck Showalter, the team's best stretch of baseball since 2008.

Baltimore has won six of its last eight meetings with the Rangers.

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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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