05/12/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting an unscheduled day off due to bad weather, the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays conclude a four-game series today with a doubleheader from Progressive Field.
The Indians have won the first two tests of this set and routed the struggling Blue Jays when these clubs last met on Saturday. Grady Sizemore went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBI to lead Cleveland to a 12-0 triumph, the Tribe's fourth win in their last five games.
Victor Martinez added two hits and three RBI to the winning effort, while Asdrubal Cabrera had two RBI and two runs scored to back a strong effort from Cleveland starter Aaron Laffey.
Laffey (1-2) held Toronto to six hits and walked just one over seven shutout innings to record his first victory of the season.
Dustin McGowan (2-3) was slapped for nine runs on nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work for the Blue Jays, who have dropped their last three games.
Toronto has been outscored by an 18-1 margin so far in this series, and the team's slumping offense figures to be challenged again during today's twinbill, with Cleveland sending out the formidable combo of Fausto Carmona and Cliff Lee.
Carmona will take the mound in the opener and brings a 3-1 record and a strong 2.95 earned run average into the matchup. The hard-throwing righty is coming off a no-decision against the Yankees on Tuesday, in which he surrendered three runs on six hits and walked five over five innings.
The 24-year-old has excelled at home so far this year, however. In four 2008 starts at Progressive Field, Carmona is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA.
Carmona has faced the Blue Jays just once previously and picked up a victory after yielding three runs over 5 1/3 innings last July at the Rogers Centre.
While Carmona has been solid for the Indians, Lee has been simply brilliant in the early going. The rejuvenated left-hander has won all six of his starts this year and allowed a mere four earned runs over 44 2/3 innings pitched. He's displayed impeccable control as well, having walked just two batters during those six outings.
Lee was dominant yet again in his last mound trip, as he fired seven shutout innings and racked up seven strikeouts to defeat the Yankees on Wednesday.
The Arkansas product has not fared well when facing the Jays over the course of his career, however. In five previous appearances against Toronto, Lee is 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA and served up six home runs over a 23 1/3-inning span.
The Blue Jays will have to face Cleveland's dynamic duo without the services of their top offensive player. On Saturday, the club placed Vernon Wells on the 15-day disabled list after the standout center fielder broke his wrist in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Indians.
Wells' absence puts greater pressure on the always-inconsistent A.J. Burnett, who gets the starting assignment for Toronto in game one. The oft-injured hurler has alternated wins and losses over his last four starts, with his most recent mound trip resulting in a home defeat to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Burnett struck out a season-high 10 Rays in that game, but also gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings. He was much better in his previous start, when the right-hander limited Boston to three hits over 7 2/3 scoreless frames to lead Toronto to a 3-0 win on May 1.
The 31-year-old is just 1-3 in four lifetime starts versus the Indians and compiled a horrid 8.46 ERA over those contests. In his lone showdown with Cleveland last season, Burnett was rocked for seven runs and eight hits in five innings to suffer a loss at Progressive Field on May 1, 2007.
Opposing Lee in the nightcap will be Shaun Marcum, who will attempt to extend a string of outstanding recent starts. The young right-hander comes in off back-to-back victories and has surrendered two runs or less in each of his last three trips to the hill.
After allowing just two hits over 6 2/3 shutout innings to defeat Chicago on May 2, Marcum finished one out shy of notching his first career complete game in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay. He gave up just four hits and walked one against the Rays, while recording nine strikeouts in his second straight start.
Marcum will be aiming for his first career win against Cleveland tonight, as the 26-year-old owning an 0-2 record and a 6.48 ERA over five previous games (3 starts) versus the Tribe.
Cleveland won four of six from the Jays last season and is 14-6 in the series since the beginning of the 2005 season. Toronto has also lost 14 of its last 15 in Cleveland.
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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