Spirit of St. Louis: Pujols flying high for Cards

Baseball Betting Lines

05/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's business as usual this season for St. Louis Cardinals All-Star first baseman Albert Pujols.

Pujols, a model of consistency his entire career, is marking up the stat sheets at a torrid pace and keeping the Cardinals within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs for first in the NL Central. Pujols is a triple-crown threat every season, but needs to knock in more runs to have a shot this year. However, he is currently fourth in the majors with a .364 batting average, fifth with 11 homers and near the mid-way mark with 31 runs batted in.

Pujols, who occupies almost 10 pages in the 2008 St. Louis media guide, is tops in the big leagues with 41 walks and a .495 on-base percentage. He has hit in 26 of the last 28 games (38-for-103) for a solid .369 average, and is coming off Monday's win over San Diego in which he belted a pair of home runs to highlight a 16-hit attack in an 8-2 triumph. Pujols has a pair of multi-homer games this season and 22 in his Hall of Fame career. He currently owns five multi-hit games in the last six contests, and is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with six runs scored and five RBI during that stretch.

The 6-3, 230-pound Dominican is an intimidating presence at the plate, especially with the way he pumps his bat in the air. The sweet-swinging Pujols is just seven home runs shy for 300 in his career and is on pace to extend his records of 30-homer and 100-RBI seasons to eight. With his patience and skills to hit in the clutch, Pujols is a big reason why the Cardinals are just two games behind the Cubs in the Central standings. And don't forget how this hitting machine continues to compete with a nagging elbow problem.

"He's possibly the greatest right-handed hitter of all time, so any time he gets pitches to hit, he's going to do some damage," said teammate Ryan Ludwick after Monday's game in San Diego. "He's done it his whole life. Any time he gets going and he gets pitched to, I have a feeling we're going to put more runs on the board."

Ludwick bats in the No. 4 spot behind the great Pujols, and is not too shabby either. In 17 games this month, Ludwick is hitting .400 with eight homers, 18 RBI and a .927 slugging percentage. He is batting .350 with 12 home runs and 32 runs batted in this year.

Pujols, the 2005 NL MVP, and Ludwick will take their cracks again at the Padres on Tuesday at Petco Park. Greg Maddux is scheduled to take the hill in San Diego, while Pujols is hitting .333 with three homers and six RBI in his career against the savvy right-hander.

ANKIEL MISSES THIRD STRAIGHT GAME

Cardinals outfielder and converted pitcher Rick Ankiel has missed his last three games because of a nagging shoulder injury suffered against Tampa Bay on May 16. He went 0-for-4 at the plate against the Rays that day.

"He's improving," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He's on the active list. We'll see how he feels and how much we can use him."

Ankiel is hitting .285 with seven homers and 21 RBI in 40 games this season. Before going hitless against the Rays, Ankiel was riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he collected a pair of homers and five runs batted in.

The Fort Pierce, Florida native said he may be back in the St. Louis lineup in a day or two.

MULDER UPDATE

Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder has been a hot topic for all the wrong reasons this season. The injured hurler suffered another setback in his rehabilitation stint after undergoing left shoulder surgery.

Mulder initially underwent the procedure at the end of the 2006 season, and was able to make three appearances in 2007 before needing more work done. It appeared Mulder's labrum had healed after the first surgery but another procedure on his rotator cuff was necessary.

The southpaw is expected to miss a scheduled start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday because of the problem after making five rehab appearances in April and May. Mulder is currently hampered with a mild rotator cuff strain and the team described his condition as a "lack of range of motion in his left shoulder due to capsular irritation."

Mulder, who is expected to continue his rehab assignment in 10-14 days, is 103-60 with a 4.18 earned run average in 202 career starts with Oakland and St. Louis. He was a vital cog for the A's years ago when they also had Barry Zito and Tim Hudson in the rotation.

WHO'S HOT

Pujols will remain on this list for a long time. Ludwick also gets a nod, but so does starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer. Wellemeyer is unbeaten in his last four starts (3-0) and owns a 1.88 ERA during that span. He has pitched at least five innings in every outing this season, and is 5-1 with a 3.25 earned run average through 10 starts.

Wellemeyer defeated the Padres on Monday, allowing a pair of runs and six hits in six innings of an 8-2 victory. He got some help from Pujols that game too.

WHO'S NOT

Third baseman Troy Glaus will be picked on until he starts putting up some decent numbers. Glaus, in his first season with St. Louis, is batting .269 with two homers and 28 RBI this season. He has been playing well over the last week or so, but hasn't contributed that much to the cause.

ON DECK

The Cardinals just went 3-3 on a six-game homestand before opening a six-game trek out west with Monday's 8-2 triumph against the Padres. They will also visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games.

St. Louis has won three in a row and is searching for its first four-game winning streak since the first week of the 2008 campaign. The Cardinals won a season-high five in a row after losing to Colorado on Opening Day.

La Russa's ballclub is 10-10 so far away from Busch Stadium.

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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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.








Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

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