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07/31/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Ryan Church, infielder Bobby Crosby and pitcher D.J. Carrasco from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder, infielder Pedro Ciriaco and cash considerations.
Church is in his seventh big league season and has been traded for the second time in as many years. He was dealt from the New York Mets to Atlanta last season and signed as a free agent with the Pirates in January.
The 31-year-old veteran is batting just .182 with three homers and 18 runs batted in over 69 games for the Pirates this season. He is a career .264 hitter with 54 homers and 160 RBI in 617 games for Montreal/Washington, the Mets, Braves and Pirates.
Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year with Oakland, was also in his first season with the Pirates and was batting just .224 with one homer and 11 runs batted in over 61 games. He spent his first seven seasons with Oakland and owns a career batting average of .237.
Carrasco had a record of 2-2 with a 3.88 earned run average in 45 games out of the bullpen for the Pirates this season, his first with the club. The 33-year- old right-hander has also pitched for Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox, compiling a mark of 22-18 with a 4.37 ERA in 226 games, 23 of which have been starts.
Snyder had spent his entire seven-year career with Arizona and this season was batting .231 with 10 homers and 32 runs batted in through 65 games. The 29- year-old veteran hit 16 homers in 2008 and owns a career average of .233 with 62 homers in 556 games.
"Chris Snyder is a solid major league player who will provide us with a quality catching option for this year and next year," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "He brings leadership to the club, along with a game calling and receiving ability that will help our pitching staff mature. Additionally he will add some home run power to our lineup."
Ciriaco, just 24, was batting .259 with six homes, 51 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 87 games for Arizona's Triple-A affiliate in Reno. The Dominican native was the Arizona organization's top base stealer the last two seasons, as he swiped 40 bases in 2008 and 38 last year.
Snyder will join the Pirates, while Ciriaco will head to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates have also recalled infielders Argenis Diaz and Jeff Clement from Indianapolis for Saturday's game against St. Louis.
<< Tseng maintains lead at Women's British Open
South Port, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yani Tseng eagled the final hole
Saturday en route to her third straight four-under 68 and a four-shot lead
after the third round of the Women's British Open.
Tseng finished 54 holes at 12-un
<< Indians scratch Westbrook
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have scratched pitcher
Jake Westbrook from Saturday's scheduled start against Toronto.
The MLB Network said Westbrook is on the verge of being traded and reports it
could be a three-way de
<< Fisher stumbles but still leads Irish Open
Killarney, Ireland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ross Fisher played his last 11 holes in
four-over par Saturday, but still managed an even-par 71 and held on to first
place after the third round of the Irish Open.
Fisher, who fired a tournament-record-
<< Almagro to face Gasquet for Gstaad crown
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Almagro of Spain and France's
Richard Gasquet were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at
the Swiss Open Gstaad.
The second-seeded Almagro earned a 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-3 v
Cardinals get Westbrook from Tribe, send Ludwick to San Diego >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher
Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians in a three-team trade that also
involves the San Diego Padres.
Along with Westbrook, St. Louis acquired cash fr
Sharks re-sign Setoguchi >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks have re-signed restricted
free agent forward Devin Setoguchi to a one-year contract. Financial terms of
the contract were not disclosed.
Setoguchi, 23, posted 20 goals and 16 assists i
Redskins' Haynesworth has swollen knee, sits out again >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert
Haynesworth did not practice for a third straight day, though this time
because of a swollen knee.
Haynesworth was held out of practice Thursday and Friday
Cubs ship Lilly and Theriot to Dodgers >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have traded pitcher Ted Lilly
and infielder Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for
infielder Blake DeWitt and a pair of minor league pitching prospects.
Chicago also
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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