World Series betting continues and we could have a classic on our hands after seeing C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez and A.J. Burnett hurl gems in Games 1 and 2. For the second time in three games, we’ll see a lefty-versus-lefty matchup in Game 3 as the series shifts back to Philadelphia. Can the Phillies bounce back at home, where they’ve been untouchable in the playoffs over the last several seasons?
World Series – Game 3
New York Yankees @ Philadelphia Phillies
Saturday, October 31, 7:57 p.m. ET
Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.37) vs Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.75)
Online betting odds: Yankees -123, Phillies +103
The Phillies give the ball to Cole Hamels for Game 3 and can only hope their supposed ace regains his World Series MVP form of 2008. So far, so bad for Hamels in the 2009 playoffs. The stat line has been ugly for him: three starts, 14.2 innings pitched, six homers allowed, 11 earned runs, 20 hits and a .308 average. Hamels is throwing strikes — he’s walked just two batters — but he’s been strangely hittable. It’s worth noting, however, that he was significantly better at home this season (7-5, 3.76) versus on the road (3-6, 4.99), so there’s a chance he bounces back like a late-charging horse at the racebook.
Philly’s hitters face a tough test in Andy Pettitte. Not only has Pettitte turned back the clock so far in the playoffs, he pitched well on the road all season, sporting a 3.71 ERA and allowing just six homers in 94.2 innings. A hitter’s park like Citizen’s Bank thus may not scare him like it does some pitchers. The Phillies have plenty of lefty killers in theory, and Chase Utley certainly did a number on C.C. Sabathia in Game 1, but they’re underachieving against lefties overall in the playoffs; no Phillies hitter is batting better than .250 against southpaws.
Factoring in (a) Hamels’ slump; (b) Pettitte’s experience and hot streak; (c) Philadelphia’s inability to get it done against lefthanded pitching; and (d) New York’s momentum after winning Game 2, all signs point to another Yankee win. Make the Bronx Bombers your MLB picks for Game 3.
Pick: Yankees -123
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Cleveland Browns @ Chicago Bears
NFL betting odds: Bears -13
The Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears are meeting up in one of the biggest mismatches of the week. The Browns are one of the worst teams in the NFL and there is already media and fan bases calling for Eric Mangini’s head.
The Browns have been absolutely abysmal on offense and there are no signs that it will turn around for them. The Browns are averaging just 10.3 points per game and they haven’t even hit double figures in four of their seven games.
The Chicago Bears are fresh off their worst performance of the season and you can bet that they will be angry. They were blown out 45-10 by the Cincinnati Bengals and were embarssed on several plays. This week, the matchups are in their favor and they should be the ones dominating.
The Bears have been a different team at home versus on the road so look for them to bounce-back now that they are back at Soldier Field. They have already played four road games this year and just two home games, so that should be a good sign the rest of the way for them. The are 2-0 at home and 1-3 on the road.
NFL picks: Bears -13
Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens
World Series betting odds: Ravens -3.5
The Denver Broncos are riding high right now and are one of three remaining teams that are undefeated on the year. The Broncos have won all six of their contests and are flying high after back-to-back wins against the New England Patriots and their biggest division rival, the San Diego Chargers. Now the Broncos will experience another tough challenge as they head on the road to Baltimore to face the desperate Ravens.
The Ravens were perfect for the first three weeks of the season but they have come crashing back to reality. The Ravens have lost their last three games – all in close fashion – and are now in danger of falling below .500 for the first time this season. The Ravens, who opened with wins against Kansas City, San Diego and Cleveland, have lost three straight tight contests to New England, Cincinnati and Minnesota.
Look for them to bounce back in this game as both teams are fairly evenly matched. The Ravens just need this game more.
World Series Odds: Ravens -3.5
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Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
Monday, Oct. 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET
BetOnline.com odds: Eagles -7
Are the Redskins the most awful 2-4 team in NFL history? They just might be. True, there are a handful of teams below Washington in the standings, but that doesn’t mean this season has been any less frustrating for fans or team officials in the wire room. Jim Zorn, of course, ahs come under a lot of fire lately and he’s likely to be whacked soon (and he’s lucky he’s not in New York or he’d get a Gambino Family whacking rather than a good old firing). Zorn has stripped of ihs play calling duties, which is only delaying the inevitable.
Jason Campbell is clearly not the answer at quarterback. He’s led an offense that has scored a measly 31 points at home this season–despite playing St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Kansas City, which have a combined record of 1-17. That won’t get it done in NFL betting. Clinton Portis is also proving that, after a long and distinguished career, the tank is inching closer to empty. The defense is a very solid unit but, with such an inept offense, most gambling fans see it as a criminal waste.
Speaking of criminal, the Eagles should be sent to prison after their pathetic loss to the Raiders (Michael Vick knows a little something about being arrested and indicted). Philly isn’t coached by some no-name Joe Falone, but it might as well have been on Sunday; Andy Reid’s charges attempted 52 passes to just 14 runs. No, Reid has never been acclaimed for his offensive balance, but that’s a joke against a bottom feeder like Oakland.
The defense was its usual solid self on Sunday and, besides an 86-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Miller, was pretty much perfect on the day. The unit may actually get an upgrade after the Eagles acquired Will Witherspoon from the Rams at the trade deadline. Witherspoon has 33 tackles this year and he has three 100-tackle seasons to his credit. Every little improvement helps the team’s offshore sportsbook odds.
Philadelphia’s alledged demise is much exaggerated. The Eagles are favored by just a touchdown on BetOnline.com odds but that spread should be much higher; last week’s absurd loss to Oakland is a blip on the radar. There’s just too much talent here for the Eagles to blow it against a sinking Skins team. This is going to get very, very ugly for Washington. Go with Philly if you bet on sports.
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Before the World Series odds arrive next week, the UFC may treat us to a different kind of Fall Classic this weekend. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida battles Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 104 in a matchup between two highly skilled Brazilians. Time to make a pick for Saturday’s main event.
Lyoto Machida (15-0)
Notable victories: Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin
UFC 104 sportsbook odds: -450
The Dragon is a massive favorite for good reason; he’s essentially been perfect in his UFC career. Not only has he never lost a professional fight, he’s never lost a single round in the Octagon. He’s statistically the hardest fighter to hit in the UFC, as he uses his karate stance to keep himself upright and keep his head far away from opposing strikes. He can hurt opponents in many different ways, as he has powerful leg kicks, knockout power in his punches and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Machida is also very patient; he’ll likely let Shogun be the aggressor and wait to pounce on a mistake with a counterstrike.
Mauricio Rua (18-3)
Notable victories: Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Rampage Jackson
UFC 104 odds: +325
We can’t underestimate Shogun Rua as an opponent for Machida. Once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Rua is a deadly combination of raw striking power and technical brilliance. Not only can he blow opponents away with his powerful Muay Thai knees, punches and kicks, he can pick opponents apart with accurate combinations. He loves to go for the knockout; 15 of Rua’s 18 victories are KOs and 17 of his 18 wins were finishes. He’s submitted two opponents thanks to a BJJ black belt of his own.
Online betting pick: Machida -450. Rua is a very dangerous opponent, so he has a puncher’s chance; if you’re the same type of risk taker who likes the Angels as World Series picks, you could take a flier on Shogun. The problem with him is that he puts himself in harm’s way to go for knockouts. Against Machida, that risky strategy will hurt him, as the Dragon will hang back, wait for a mistake, and explode on Rua. Bet on Machida to retain his belt.
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Kansas City Chiefs @ Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins have been a pathetic team this year. They have a relatively easy schedule to start the year – maybe even the easiest schedule in NFL history – but all they could muster was two wins. The Redskins have yet to face a team that has had a win in the win column when they’ve faced them, yet they only have a tight two-point win against the St. Louis Rams and a tight three-point win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Redskins are brutal, but they get another cupcake this week as the winless Kansas City Chiefs come to town. Based on sheer talent alone, the Redskins should win this game. It’s fairly clear that the Chiefs are more than a few bricks short of a load and right now, they can’t do much about it.
The Redskins players came out this week and said they would like to hear their front office give Jim Zorn a vote of confidence but that never transpired. The reality for Redskins players is that as much as they may like Zorn, he’s just not a good head coach. The Redskins blew a 17-0 lead last week and lost. They only have two wins on the year after spending over $100 million on contracts in the offseason. That’s not good enough.
From a betting standpoint, it’s tough to lay points with them right now. The Chiefs are bad but the Redskins can’t be trusted.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a bad team but there is a reason why they might come out with some fire this week. The Raiders have become the laughing stock in the NFL and that message has circulated around the Raiders locker room. They should come out and play with some fire this week.
The Eagles are a good road team but they have been known to sag down to the level for their competition. See: road trip to Cincinnati last year.
The Raiders may come out of the gates and play well but it’s hard to see them winning because JaMarcus Russell is still at quarterback. Facing a good blitzing team like the Eagles, he’ll be in trouble regularly and make some mistakes.
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World Series betting inches closer as we’re down to Major League Baseball’s final four. The National League Championship Series is a rematch of last year’s matchup, pitting the Phillies against the Dodgers. Will the Phillies prevail again or will the Dodgers get revenge?
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Philadelphia Phillies vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Best-of-seven series Game 1 is Thursday, October 15, 8:07 p.m. ET
Series sports book prices: Phillies +105, Dodgers -125
After their strong regular season and dominant performance in the NLDS against the Cardinals, the L.A. Dodgers are favored to beat the Phillies. L.A. has plenty going for it; the Dodgers specialize in clutch hitting, having led the Majors in walk-off wins this season. Manny Ramirez is always dangerous in close games and Andre Ethier has emerged as a “big hit” machine; he cranked two homers against the Cards in three games. The Dodgers play great defense too, led by Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp, and boast arguably baseball’s best bullpen (according to stats; their pen had the majors’ lowest ERA).
However, the Dodgers aren’t perfect. Compared to the remaining contenders, they lack starting pitching depth. Clayton Kershaw and Randy Wolf are nothing to sneeze at, but can that tandem compare to Hamels/Lee? Sabathia/Burnett? Lackey/Weaver? Arguably not. In a best-of-seven series, the Dodgers will have to rely on Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland more. Padilla especially has been an inspiring story, but can he be relied upon in crunch time?
The Phillies follow up Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee with Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and even Pedro Martinez if they need him. They’re a much deeper team, not just pitching-wise. In Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth, the Phillies had four 30-homer guys this season, and that doesn’t even factor in what Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino can do at the top of the order.
The Phillies depth will shine through in a longer series; make them your baseball picks to outlast the Dodgers.
Betting services recommend: Phillies +105
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MLB playoff betting favored St. Louis before their NLDS series with the Los Angeles Dodgers started, but they find themselves just trying to avoid elimination on Saturday when the host the Dodgers at Busch Stadium.
Dodgers vs Cardinals Odds – Saturday, October 10, 6:07 PM ET
Vicente Padilla (12-6, 4.46) is making the first postseason start of his 11-year career, and in seven career outings against the Cardinals, including three starts, Padilla is 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA. He’s never pitched at the new Busch Stadium, but strangely, Padilla was better away from home this year, going 7-2 in 13 games (12 starts) and a 3.60 ERA with the Dodgers and Texas Rangers. Sportsbook players may think this is a strange hurler to have out there when the Dodgers have Chad Billingsley, who is slated for Game 4 and had a lot of problems in the second half of the year.
Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49) should have a better record at home, but he was hurt by some poor run support early in the season. Pineiro is only 7-6 in 15 starts at home despite a 2.87 ERA, but the Cardinals came on later in the season for the 31-year-old. Pineiro is 2-0 in three career outings against the Dodgers with a 3.38 ERA, and he’ll be making his first postseason start since 2001, when he gave up a run on four hits in just two innings with Seattle, but he did manage to strike out five hitters.
Betting services favor St. Louis at home at -165, and they really should be tied at one in this series, if it wasn’t for an untimely and incredibly uncharacteristic error by Matt Holliday in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Dodgers. Pineiro gives the Cardinals an excellent chance to win, and it’ll also be interesting to see how Padilla fares in his postseason debut. He’s a veteran, but we’ve seen the playoffs eat up more experienced and talented pitchers before. It’ll be close, though, as the Cardinals are only one game better at home than the Dodgers are on the road. Go with the Cardinals in your MLB picks.
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Alabama vs Ole Miss Odds – Rebels Look To Stem Crimson Tide
Saturday’s online betting odds in the SEC will feature the No.3 Crimson Tide, who are looking like the best team in the country right now, taking on a Rebels team that had high expectations, but are behind the eight-ball due to an earlier loss to South Carolina. Who will win this SEC West clash?
Alabama vs Ole Miss Odds – Saturday, October 10, 3:30 PM ET
The Crimson Tide rolled to a 38-20 win at Kentucky last week, as the vicious Alabama defense forced four turnovers. Greg McElroy had to only manage the game, and he did well by going 15-of-26 for 148 yards and two scores. He had a great ground game backing him up as Mark Ingram ran for 140 yards and a pair of scores for the Crimson Tide, who are climbing the sportsbook ladder in terms of odds for winning the BCS championship.
The No.20 Rebels rebounded from their loss against South Carolina with a 23-7 victory at Vanderbilt, but it was far from convincing. Jevan Snead, who was a darkhorse Heisman candidate, was 19-of-34 for 237 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also picked off three times. It was the defense that had to lead the way, holding Vanderbilt to 240 yards, including a paltry 69 through the air.
The Crimson Tide are a 6-point favorite in your handicapping software, and they’ve won eight of their last 10 against the Rebels, including a 24-20 victory last year at home to make it five in a row. This game will be fought between the Alabama defense and the Ole Miss offense, which hasn’t lived up to the hype at all. Coach Nick Saban has done a great of putting McElroy, who is starting for the first time in his career, in a position to avoid mistakes, and a strong ground game doesn’t hurt. The Ole Miss defense has been playing very well, but they struggle against the run, and this plays right into Alabama’s hands. Go with the Alabama Crimson Tide in your Saturday sports picks.
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