Ohlendorf hit by line drive, leaves game

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf left Wednesday's game against the Rockies after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning.

With a runner at third and two outs, Tulowitzki lined a ball off the side of Ohlendorf's head and the ball bounced into right field. Carlos Gonzalez scored on the play for a 1-0 Colorado lead.

Ohlendorf walked off the mound and to the clubhouse for treatment and was replaced by Sean Gallagher.

Entering Wednesday's game, Ohlendorf was 1-8 with a 4.39 earned run average.

Sndbox Baseball Betting News

<< Rays' Zobrist leaves game
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist left Wednesday's game against Detroit with lower back stiffness. His availability is being listed as day-to-day. The five-year veteran, playing cen

<< Chiefs sign second round picks
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed second round draft choices Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. McCluster was the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of

<< Chargers ink Gates through 2015 season
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chargers and six-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates agreed to terms Wednesday on a contract that will keep him in San Diego through the 2015 season. Gates, who is one of the best at his position,

<< Scutaro's grand slam helps Red Sox complete sweep of Angels
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marco Scutaro's grand slam in the eighth inning helped the Boston Red Sox to a three-game sweep of the LA Angels of Anaheim with a 7-3 win in the finale. Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre and Bill Hall each hi

<< Strasburg unsure if he'll make next start
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg said on Wednesday he's not sure if he'll make his scheduled start Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Strasburg was scratched from his sched

Dodgers acquire Podsednik from Royals >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to bolster their outfield by acquiring former All-Star Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for two minor league players - catcher Lucas May and pitcher

A's lose Sheets for the season >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics pitcher Ben Sheets will miss the remainder of the 2010 season with a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. Sheets was placed on the disabled list Saturday, retroactive to July 20, wi

Mills picks up first MLB win as Blue Jays sweep O's >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Mills threw seven shutout innings for his first career win as the Toronto Blue Jays continued their domination of the Baltimore Orioles with a 5-0 win to cap a three-game sweep. Mills (1-0) gave up

Halladay goes distance again, Brown shines in MLB debut >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outfielder Domonic Brown stroked an RBI double on his first major league swing and Roy Halladay tossed his major league-leading eighth complete game of the season, as the surging Philadelphia Phillie

Jones, Hudson lead Atlanta past Washington >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chipper Jones drove in two runs and Tim Hudson was solid in 7 2/3 innings on the mound, as the Atlanta Braves took down the Washington Nationals, 3-1, in the second test of a three-game set at Nationa

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.