Tuesday's Betting Tips
By Covers.com
WHO'S HOT?
The under and the opposition in Houston Astros games. The under is 4-1-2 in the last seven Stros contests and they've won just one of their past 10 games. Houston has scored just 20 runs in its past 10 games.
WHO'S NOT?
The home team in umpire Ed Wilckox's games. The road side is 14-8 in games he's been behind home plate this season.
KEY STAT
2 mph. That's the number Josh Beckett's velocity has dropped by at a minimum on all his pitches since 2009, according to this ESPN story. Beckett is winless in his last seven starts after losing last night (10-0 to Colorado) to begin his career with the Dodgers.
GAME OF THE DAY
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (+107, 8)
INJURY THAT SHOULDN"T BE OVERLOOKED
Venus Williams is suffering from a back injury heading into her Round 1 match against fellow American Bethanie Matteck-Sands. It's also hard to tell day-to-day how she'll be affected by the autoimmune disease from which she suffers, Sjorden’s Syndrome, which can leave her tired and sluggish. Matteck-Sands is a +800 underdog today with Venus set at -1400.
BETTING NEWS AND NOTES:
New Jersey has brought in some high powered lawyers to defend against a lawsuit seeking to prevent sports betting in the state.
The Orioles have won a franchise-record 13 straight one-run games. Baltimore is a +134 home underdog versus the White Sox.
In his last start, Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero became the first pitcher in more than four years to walk eight batters and not record a strikeout. Toronto is a +208 underdog versus the Yankees.
Giants pitcher Matt Cain is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA in four career games - three starts - at Minute Maid Park. San Francisco is a -210 favorite in Houston.
Five Things You Need to Know for Tues., Aug. 28
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 full baseball schedule on Tuesday and the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament continues. Here is a brief look at the top four important matchups of the day along with a glance at future odds.
1)Chicago White Sox at Baltimore, Chris Sale (15-4, 2.65 ERA) vs. Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.71 ERA)
The Orioles just traded for lefty Joe Saunders. He'll go on Wednesday but he's not the same caliber of Chris Sale, who is having an amazing season as a starter. This series has significant playoff implications. Both surprising contenders have a strong shot at playing into October. The White Sox enter the four-game set at Camden Yards with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Detroit. The Under is 5-11-2 the last 18 White Sox road games. The White Sox opened as a -140 favorite with a total of 8.
2)Washington at Miami, Stephen Strasburg (15-5, 2.85 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (9-12, 5.07 ERA)
Strasburg has thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings against the Marlins, and he'll try to help Washington end a four-game slide in the opener of a two-game set in Miami on Tuesday night. Strasburg is up to 145 1/3 innings for the season, and the organization's stance on protecting him has sparked a debate among fans and media.
Miami is 1-8 Under in Nolasco's last 9 starts vs. Nationals. Washington opened as a -200 favorite with a total of 7.5.
3)U.S. Open men's tournament continues with first round
Novak Djokovic (-10000), the top seed at the Open, is in action at night against Paolo Lorenzi. Marco Baghditis (-400), one of the scrappy players on tour, takes on Matthias Bachinger in the early afternoon. As for the Americans, Andy Roddick is also in action in the afternoon.
4)U. S. Open women's tournament continues in the first round
Serena Williams finally gets on the court Tuesday, straight off her gold medal win in London and her Wimbledon victories. Her older sister Venus (-1600) also plays on Tuesday against American doubles special Betthany Mattek-Sands (+700). American Vania King (+135) faces Yreslova Shvedova (-175) at 12:30pm in what should be one of the better first-round matches.
5)Odds to Win the 2012-13 Heisman Trophy
The college football season starts on Thursday. Matt Barkley, the quarterback from USC, is the favorite. Here are the latest odds from Bovada listed below.
Odds to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy
Matt Barkley (QB USC) 3/1
Montee Ball (RB Wisconsin) 6/1
Denard Robinson (QB Michigan) 15/2
Geno Smith (QB West Virginia) 8/1
Landry Jones (QB Oklahoma) 8/1
Aaron Murray (QB Georgia) 15/1
Marcus Lattimore (RB South Carolina) 18/1
De'Anthony Thomas (RB Oregon) 20/1
A.J. McCarron (QB Alabama) 22/1
E.J. Manuel (QB Florida State) 30/1
Tyler Wilson (QB Arkansas) 33/1
Rex Burkhead (RB Nebraska) 35/1
Sammy Watkins (WR Clemson) 40/1
Keith Price (QB Washington) 45/1
Tajh Boyd (QB Clemson) 45/1
Knile Davis (RB Arkansas) 50/1
Robert Woods (WR USC) 55/1
Braxton Miller (QB Ohio State) 65/1
Joseph Randle (RB Oklahoma State) 65/1
Marqise Lee (WR USC) 70/1
Marquess Wilson (WR Washington State) 70/1
Collin Klein (QB Kansas State) 75/1
Logan Thomas (QB Virginia Tech) 75/1
Taylor Martinez (QB Nebraska) 80/1
Dayne Christ (QB Kansas) 85/1
Eddie Lacy (RB Alabama) 85/1
Giovani Bernard (RB North Carolina) 85/1
Henry Josey (RB Missouri) 85/1
James Franklin (QB Missouri) 85/1
Malcolm Brown (RB Texas) 85/1
Kenny Stills (WR Oklahoma) 90/1
Keenen Allen (WR California) 95/1
Casey Pachall (QB TCU) 125/1
Le'Veon Bell (RB Michigan State) 125/1
Tyler Bray (QB Tennessee) 125/1
Fitzgerald Toussaint (RB Miichigan) 150/1
Ray Graham (RB Pittsburgh) 150/1
Tavon Austin (WR West Virginia) 150/1
Teddy Bridgewater (QB Louisville) 150/1
Christine Michael (RB Texas A&M) 175/1
Jeff Tuel (QB Washington State) 175/1
Robbie Rouse (RB Fresno State) 175/1
Bryn Renner (QB North Carolina) 200/1
John White IV (RB Utah) 200/1