Bell helps give new skipper Showalter first win with O's

Baseball Betting Lines

08/03/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore third baseman Josh Bell helped give new manager Buck Showalter a victory in his debut, as the Orioles rallied past the Angeles, 6-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards.

Showalter was introduced as the Orioles' new skipper on Monday. Juan Samuel had been guiding the team on an interim basis since Dave Trembley was fired back on June 4.

The 54-year-old Showalter brings plenty of managerial experience to a struggling O's team. He managed the New York Yankees from 1992-1995, then the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998-2000. He also managed the Texas Rangers from 2003-06 and was named AL Manager of the Year in 1994, and again 10 years later.

Josh Bell capped a four-run sixth inning with a two-run double to help Baltimore halt a three-game skid. The Orioles, though, hold the worst record in baseball at 33-73. Luke Scott added a two-run homer and Matt Wieters had two RBI.

Jeremy Guthrie (5-11) went seven innings in the start, allowing three runs on five hits. The right-hander came into the game with a 1-7 mark in his previous 11 starts.

Howie Kendrick hit a two-run homer for the Angels, who have dropped nine of 12. Mike Napoli knocked in the other run in defeat.

Trevor Bell, making his second start of the season, gave up two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 frames. Francisco Rodriguez (0-2) allowed three runs on three hits to take the loss.

Trailing 2-1, the Orioles scored four times in the sixth to go ahead. Ty Wigginton worked a one-out walk, chasing Trevor Bell from the game. Rodriguez took over and Scott greeted him with a blast over the wall in right. After Adam Jones flied out, Felix Pie singled and Wieters was intentionally walked. Josh Bell then cleared the bases with a double to left for a 5-2 lead.

LA got a run back in the seventh to cut the gap to two. Kendrick hit a two-out double and crossed the plate on Napoli's single off the wall in right.

Wieters' RBI bloop single in the eighth accounted for the final margin.

The Angels scored twice in the top of the fifth to break a scoreless tie. Alberto Callaspo led off with a single and crossed the plate on Kendrick's homer to left.

The O's got one run back in the home half to make it a 2-1 game. Pie doubled and scored on Wieters' two-bagger to right-center field. Trevor Bell retired the next three batters to keep LA in front.

Game Notes

The Angels and Orioles are meeting for the first time since Anaheim won eight of 10 meetings a season ago, including five of the six contests at Camden Yards. Anaheim had won three in a row as the visitor in this series...Los Angeles recalled outfielder Peter Bourjos from Triple-A Salt Lake. He made his MLB debut Tuesday night, going 0-for-3...The Angels started a six-game road trip on Tuesday, while the O's got a seven-game homestand underway...LA was without catcher Jeff Mathis (body soreness)...Trevor Bell struck out a career- high five batters and walked one...Guthrie improved to 2-2 lifetime against the Angels.

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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.