A's try to damper playoff hopes for Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

09/13/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics try to play spoiler this evening when they continue their three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the Coliseum.

The A's have been a thorn in the side of the Angels this season, taking nine of the 14 matchups, including six of the seven meetings in Oakland. That was the case in Monday's opener, as Josh Willingham hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBI to help Oakland to a 6-3 win.

Kurt Suzuki had three hits and Cliff Pennington added two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Athletics, who had lost four of six coming into the game. Gio Gonzalez (13-12) gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 6 2/3 frames to get the win.

"I was mostly focused on trying to keep the ball away from their bats," Gonzalez said. "It's a good hitting team, one that fights until the end."

Vernon Wells hit a solo homer and had two RBI while Erick Aybar also hit a solo home run for the Angels, who have dropped their past two games. Joel Pineiro (6-7) went three-plus innings and was charged with four runs on five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

The loss dropped the Angels to three games back of Texas for first place in the AL West.

Hoping to get them a little closer tonight will be righty Jerome Williams, who is 3-0 with a 3.51 earned run average. Williams was brilliant in beating the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, as he gave up just one hit - a solo home run - in eight innings.

"I'm more of a pitcher now," Williams said. "I trust my stuff. My cutter and sinker, keeping the ball down in good spots, that has been the big key for me. And my changeup has been moving a lot. I'm learning how to trust myself, trust my fastball. I'm using the cutter more. I still want to improve on it."

Williams has faced the A's three times and is 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA.

The A's will counter with right-hander Guillermo Moscoso, who came within four outs of a no-hitter his last time out. Moscoso carried a no-hitter against Kansas City into the eighth inning on Wednesday before Salvador Perez laced a two-out single. He picked up the win, surrendering two hits over 8 2/3 scoreless innings to improve to 8-8 to go along with a 3.34 ERA.

"You always want to go deep in the games," said Moscoso, who has allowed two or fewer earned runs in five of his last six starts. "You have to make quality pitches and work hard to try to go deep in the game."

Moscoso beat the Angels the last time he faced them, scattering three hits over six scoreless innings.

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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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