Phils bring revamped rotation into Cincinnati

Baseball Betting Lines

04/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lieber makes his return to the Philadelphia rotation when the Phillies start a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds this evening at Great America Ball Park.

Lieber started the season in the bullpen for the Phillies but struggled in his two appearances, as he gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings. However, manager Charlie Manuel curiously decided to insert him back into the rotation this week, with staff ace Brett Myers going to the bullpen.

So Lieber makes his first start of the year after going 9-11 with a 4.93 earned run average in 27 starts in 2006. The 37-year-old right-hander has faced the Reds 28 times (25 starts) and is 11-8 with a 4.09 ERA against them.

Philadelphia comes into this series on a rare winning note, after splitting its two-game set with the Washington Nationals with a 4-2 victory in Thursday's series finale.

Jamie Moyer pitched eight-plus strong innings, while Shane Victorino finished 3-for-5 with one run batted in and a run scored for the Phillies, who halted a two-game skid and allowed less than five runs for the first time in their last six games.

First baseman Ryan Howard, who is hitting just .213 with one home run and seven RBI, missed the game due to a sprained ligament in his left knee and will likely sit tonight as well. The reigning NL MVP suffered the injury while running out a fielder's choice grounder in the 10th frame of Wednesday's 13- inning 5-4 loss to Washington.

Philadelphia, which sports the NL's worst record at 4-10, has yet to win back- to-back games this season. In fact, each Phillies' win this season has been followed by at least two consecutive losses.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, enters on a losing note after watching its bullpen blow a late lead in an 8-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday. Josh Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs scored, while Brandon Phillips also homered for the Reds, who have lost three of their last four games.

Bronson Arroyo pitched well enough to win, as the right-hander yielded two runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. David Weathers (0-2) took the loss, surrendering the final two Houston runs in the eighth.

Getting the call tonight for the Reds will be right-hander Kyle Lohse, who is 1-0 on the year with a 2.53 ERA. Lohse was superb in his last start on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, as he scattered four hits and struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings.

Lohse has faced the Phillies twice in his career and is 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA against them.

Philadelphia won four of its six matchups with the Reds last season and is 11-8 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Phillies have also won six of their last seven in Cincy.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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