Marlins edge Diamondbacks behind Nolasco, Uggla

Baseball Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Nolasco pitched seven strong innings to win his fourth straight start, and Florida edged Arizona, 3-2, in the second portion of a four-game series.

Nolasco (9-6) allowed six hits and two runs, walked three and had six strikeouts as the Marlins bounced back from a 10-4 defeat on Thursday. He moved to 5-1 lifetime against the Diamondbacks.

Dan Uggla drove in two runs for the Marlins.

Dan Haren (7-7) yielded 10 hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings in losing his third straight decision. The right-hander hasn't won since June 12 against St. Louis.

Chris Young and Gerardo Parra each knocked in a run for Arizona, which lost for the sixth time in seven games.

The Marlins wasted a base-loaded opportunity in the first inning but struck for two runs in the third. Hanley Ramirez walked with one out and Jorge Cantu and Uggla each followed with singles for a 1-0 game. Cody Ross then singled to right field for another run.

Parra singled with the bases full in the fourth, but Nolasco kept the lead when Haren flied out to end the inning.

Uggla's broken bat infield hit plated Chris Coghlan in the seventh, but the Diamondbacks got within one again in their half of the frame when Stephen Drew scored on a groundout from Young. Kelly Johnson then grounded out to strand a runner in scoring position.

Clay Hensley struck out all three batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth, and Leo Nunez retired the side in order in the ninth for his 19th save of the year.

Game Notes

The Marlins selected the minor league contract of LHP Dan Meyer earlier in the day...Coghlan had three of Florida's 11 hits...The Marlins left 10 men on base...The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Kevin Munson, their fourth-round selection in the First-Year Player Draft out of James Madison University. He has been assigned to Single-A South Bend.

Wallstreeetcasino Baseball Betting News

<< Orioles C Wieters leaves after injury
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters left Friday's game against the Texas Rangers after stumbling while running the bases. Wieters was seen limping to third on a Scott Moore double and was forced o

<< Argos edge Blue Bombers
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleo Lemon threw for 162 yards and ran for a touchdown as he helped lead the Toronto Argonauts to a thrilling 36-34 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium. Also putting together a str

<< Busch denies Logano second straight Nationwide win at Chicago
Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch had the dominant car, but needed a little bit of luck at the end to win Friday's Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Despite leading a race-high 110 laps, Busc

<< Braun delivers in extras to end Brewers skid
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun lined an opposite-field single over Ryan Church's head in right field to score Rickie Weeks with the game- winning run in the 10th inning, as the Brewers earned a 5-4 comeback win over the Pir

<< Bosh arrives in Miami via sign-and-trade
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Bosh officially joined the Miami Heat Friday night via sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors acquired two first-round draft picks and a trade exception from the Heat to facilitate th

Stewart's slam completes another winning rally for Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Stewart knocked in a career-high six runs and his grand slam was the big blow in a five-run seventh inning as Colorado rallied to down San Diego, 10-8, in the opener of a three-game set at Coors Field.

Yanks don't get their ace, but still record seventh straight win >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees failed to acquire Cliff Lee from the Mariners on Friday, but New York still topped Seattle, 6-1, behind Phil Hughes' seven effective innings on the mound. The reigning World Series champions

Aybar's 10th-inning homer gets Halos past A's >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Erick Aybar's leadoff homer in the 10th proved to be the difference, and the Angels defeated the A's, 6-5, despite squandering three different leads in the opener of a three-game set. Torii Hunter

Dodgers beat up Lilly, Cubs >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Martin clubbed a three-run homer, while Andre Ethier delivered three hits and two RBI as the Dodgers held off the Chicago Cubs, 9-7, in the second installment of a four-game series. Casey Blake

Reds C Hernandez on DL with knee injury >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday night due to left knee inflammation. It's the same knee Hernandez had surgery on last year, causing him t

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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