Wells, Hill help Jays rout struggling Rangers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vernon Wells hit a three-run homer and Aaron Hill clubbed a two-run shot, as the Toronto Blue Jays earned a 7-2 decision over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers in the opener of a four- game series at Rogers Centre.

Yunel Escobar added a solo shot for the Blue Jays, who have won two straight and split their last six overall.

Ricky Romero (12-8) threw seven solid innings, allowing one run on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in earning the victory.

Michael Young had an RBI double among three hits and David Murphy chipped in with a run-scoring single for Texas, which has dropped four in a row and seven of nine, but still leads the division by 7 1/2 games ahead of Oakland.

Tommy Hunter (12-3), a winner of three straight starts coming in, was roughed up for seven runs on as many hits, walked a pair and struck out four over seven innings. Left-hander Cliff Lee was originally scheduled to get the start, but was pushed back until Tuesday, then scratched with an ailing back.

Toronto got a gift run in the second to open the scoring. With runners on second and third, and two outs, John Buck struck out swinging, but a wild pitch scored Wells, who started the inning with an infield single.

Then with two aboard in the third, Wells lined a fastball that just cleared the left-field wall for a 4-0 Blue Jays advantage. After Lyle Overbay reached with a double, Hill clubbed a two-run shot to left.

Murphy got the Rangers on the board with an RBI single in the fourth. Texas then stranded two runners in both the fifth and seventh innings.

Meanwhile, Hunter settled down to retire 12 in a row before serving up a solo homer to Escobar with two outs in the seventh that put the Jays in front, 7-1.

Shawn Camp took over for Romero in the eighth and tossed a scoreless inning. Brian Tallet came on for the ninth and allowed an run-scoring two-out double to Young. Nelson Cruz then flied out to end the game.

Game Notes

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton missed the game with a rib cage injury and will likely sit out this week...Prior to the game, Texas recalled infielder Esteban German from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated infielder Alex Cora for assignment...The Blue Jays have won six of their seven matchups with the Rangers this season.

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Betting Football

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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.