Monday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
Weather to watch
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates: A 40 percent chance of thunderstorms throughout the evening hours in Pittsburgh.
Who’s hot?
The Seattle Mariners have won five straight heading into a three-game series with the struggling Cleveland Indians.
Giants catcher Buster Posey has hit safely in 28 of his last 33 games, batting .424 (50-for-118) with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and 21 walks.
Who’s cold?
The Minnesota Twins have dropped five straight games heading into a three-game set in Oakland.
Key stat
Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley is now 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA since the All-star break. He had lost five straight starts prior to the break.
Game of the day
New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox (+104, 9.5)
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie was forced out of Sunday’s preseason tilt with the Steelers after taking a blow to the head in the first quarter. Collie has a history of concussion issues and will be evaluated for concussion symptoms throughout the week.
Notable quotable
"They're spending a lot of time getting Brandon [Weeden] ready. I'm spending a lot of time in my playbook and watching a lot of tape. I feel pretty comfortable with what we're doing."- Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on being a reserve.
Betting news and notes
The Tampa Bay Rays responded with a franchise-record 37 runs in their four-game series against the Angels after being victims to the perfect game by Felix Hernandez last Wednesday.
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (left wrist inflammation) has missed the last three games but is expected to start Monday.
Oakland Athletics right-hander A.J. Griffin (shoulder) threw a bullpen session and could be activated off the DL on Monday.
The Mariners have allowed a total of eight runs during their winning streak. Seattle has also won eight in a row against AL Central opponents.
Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly will return Monday after serving a two-game suspension for excessive arguing Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Five Things You Need to Know for Monday, Aug. 20
Atssportsline.com
5 Things You Need to Know in Sports
Want to start your day off right? Looking for some action and the most interesting events of the day? There is a football game on Monday night and nearly a full baseball schedule. Here is a brief look at the top four important matchups of the day along with a glance at future odds.
1)Philadelphia at New England, NFL Preseason Week 2, Gillette Stadium
Philadelphia visits New England on a Monday night that could be a preview to the Super Bowl. The only problem is that the Patriots are likely to rest most of their starters as they are in the middle of playing 3 games in 10 days. Philly is going with the starters likely into the third quarter. The Patriots are looking to get better defensively. Philadelphia is 10-3 ATS in Week 2 of preseason. New England is a 1-point favorite and the total is 40.5.
2)Baltimore at Texas, Miguel Gonzalez (5-2, 3.38 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (1-1, 8.31 ERA)
Baltimore is no fluke. At this point in the season, they have the second wild cards spot and are just a game behind Tampa Bay for the first. Ryan Dempster has been a major disappointment for the Rangers after being traded from the Cubs. But his "personal issues" lately may have hurt his performance. Texas is 8-1 last 9 in series. Texas opened as a -170 favorite and the total is 10.
3)Cincinnati at Philadelphia, Mike Leake (5-7, 4.29 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (6-7, 3.80 ERA)
The Reds are putting on a show in the second half. They are 6.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh in the NL Central. Mike Leake isn't a dominant pitcher but he's been pitching well lately. Halladay is starting to look like his old Cy Young-self but it's too little, too late for the pitiful Phillies. Cincinnati is 12-4 last 16 on the road. The Phillies opened as a -205 favorite and the total is 7.5.
4)San Francisco at LA Dodgers, Madison Bumgarner (13-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (11-6, 2.90 ERA)
One of the best rivalries in baseball. This series is huge for both teams. The Dodgers are now a 1/2 game ahead of the Giants, who just lost Melky Cabrera for 50 games due to a PED suspension. This is a chance for the Dodgers to pull away but the Giants still have outstanding pitching to keep them in the race. The Giants are 13-5 last 18 Monday games. The Dodgers opened as a -155 favorite and the total opened at 6.
5)Odds to Win the 2012 U.S. Open (women)
Last week, we had the 2012 odds to win the U.S. Open for the men after Rafael Nadal pulled out due to a knee injury. Serena Williams is the favorite but Kim Clijsters at +2800 is a sleeper. only because it's her last tournament. She's retiring after this tournament, which she won in 2005, 2009 and 2010.
US Open WTA
Serena Williams +100
Victoria Azarenka +775
Maria Sharapova +790
Petra Kvitova +1150
Na Li +1500
Angelique Kerber +2100
Kim Clijsters +2800
Agnieszka Radwanska +3400
Samantha Stosur +3400
Venus Williams +5000
Caroline Wozniacki +6000
Sabine Lisicki +8500
Mona Barthel +15000
Yaroslava Shvedova +19000
Maria Kirilenko +20000
Marion Bartoli +21500
Sara Errani +22000
Ana Ivanovic +24000
Dominika Cibulkova +25000
Christina McHale +25000
Vera Zvonareva +25000
Svetlana Kuznetsova +26000
Jelena Jankovic +26000
Nadia Petrova +26000
Jie Zheng +28500
Julia Goerges +28500
Andrea Petkovic +28500
Yanina Wickmayer +30000
Chanelle Scheepers +30000
Tsvetana Pironkova +32000
Klara Zakopalova +32000
Daniela Hantuchova +34000
Kaia Kanepi +34000
Lucie Safarova +35000
Flavia Pennetta +35000
Shuai Peng +36000
Francesca Schiavone +37000
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova +37000
Ekaterina Makarova +37500
Petra Martic +38500
Roberta Vinci +38500
Petra Cetkovska +40000
Sorana Cirstea +42000
Elena Vesnina +48500
Bojana Jovanovski +55000
Simona Halep +58500
Anastasija Sevastova +100000
Bethanie Mattek Sands +100000
Anabel Medina Garrigues +100000
Iveta Benesova +100000
Shahar Peer +100000
Jarmila Gajdosova +100000
Polona Hercog +100000
Monica Niculescu +100000
Ksenia Pervak +100000
Marina Erakovic +100000