BSNblog

Cardinals Mets Betting – Thursday, 12:10 PM ET

Blake Hawksworth (4-6, 5.23) was shelled in a 6-5 loss in Chicago as he was tagged for six runs (five earned) on seven hits over 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking three. He was also taken deep twice, and even though the Cardinals came back to make a game of it, Hawksworth put them in too big of a hole to come back from. Hawksworth has faced the Mets once this season, in relief, and he tossed 2.1 scoreless innings, and this is his first start against them, going 0-0 in four appearances with no earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. The 27-year-old righthander has a 5.50 ERA in 15 appearances on the road for the Cardinals, and NFL football betting players would compare this to a team putting in their backup as Hawksworth has bounced back in forth between the rotation and the bullpen all year.

Johan Santana (8-5, 2.79) had his fifth straight start in which allowed no more than one run, scattering five hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and a walk in a 6-1 win in Los Angeles over the Dodgers. Santana has been on fire this month, going 3-0 in five starts with a 0.71 ERA, and the opposition is hitting just .199 off of him in July. The two-time Cy Young winner had a no-decision against the Cardinals early this year, tossing a four-hitter over seven scoreless innings, and he’s 2-0 in four starts with a 2.03 ERA against the Cardinals. In 10 starts at Citi Field, Santana is 6-3 with a 2.81 ERA this season.

MLB betting odds should favor the Mets at home, and the matchup is stacked heavily in their favor with Santana on the hill against Hawksworth, who is really a relief pitcher, but he’s been pressed into action with a St. Louis rotation that is, outside of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, is very week. Sananta has gotten on a roll after a slow start, and with the Mets struggling as they are, he knows how important each game is. Santana’s record against the Cardinals is very encouraging, and he’ll look to send his Mets into the weekend on a high note against a team that many feel will win the National League pennant.

Bet On Sports – New York Mets

The MLS All-Stars will play against Manchester United of the English betting Premier League.

The MLS team will include Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. Two players from the US National team that advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup.

Oddsmakers has Machester United as a favorite , Man United that is one of the most important teams in the English online sports betting league.

Is the first time that the MLS All Start game be played in the state of Texas.

The meeting will be at the Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas and will be televised on ESPN2.

The MLS All-Stars are looking to improve on last season’s match in which they lost to EPL side Everton on penalty kicks. The All Star team is still undefeated (in regulation time, excluding the penalties in 2009) against international competition. Manchester United provides the toughest test they have played but are in pre-season form. This was very clear with the Red Devils’ lost to the Kansas City Wizards on Sunday.

The players for the MLS All Star Team are:

Goalkeepers Jimmy Nielsen (Kansas City) and Kasey Keller (Seattle), midfielders Joel Lindpere (New York), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle), and forwards Fredy Montero (Seattle) and Conor Casey (Colorado).

"Risky Business?

Last NFL betting season, Owens played for the Buffalo Bills, accumulating 55 receptions, 829 yards and five touchdowns, numbers remarkably low compared to those who has averaged over his career in the NFL.

The controversial receiver has played with the San Francisco 49ers (1996-2003), Philadelphia Eagles (2004-05), Dallas Cowboys (2006-2008) and Buffalo Bills (2009).

Another team interested in acquiring the services of 'TO', the St. Louis Rams, was put aside in their attempt to hire, while the New York Jets seemed to emerge as another viable option for Owens.

The college football betting implications for these rookie players are over, and now they are looking to impact the pro game. The biggest spotlight for this Hall of Fame game will be on the Dallas Cowboys’ rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. The only problem is that Bryant may not have a contract in place in time to play this game.

The Bengals will have their newest wide receiver acquisition, Antonio Bryant, under contract and ready to play. While the anticipation around the Bengals’ Bryant will not match that of the Cowboys’ Bryant, the veteran Bengals wide receiver could have a significant impact on the team’s season.

The Bengals have been looking for a complimentary wide receiver for Chad Ochocinco, and while there is a nice selection of rookies and second year players to choose from, the number two receiver position is Bryant’s to lose. If Bryant can perform well, then quarterback Carson Palmer may be able to look forward to a productive season.

NFL preseason betting usually comes down to depth. The team with the deepest bench is the one that normally wins the preseason games, because starters only play a series or two. In this year’s Hall of Fame game you will see the starting offenses and defenses for probably a series, and then the depth will kick in.

When the starters match up, it will be shown that the Cowboys defense is just too much for the Bengals offense. To be fair, the Bengals will not be running any complicated offensive schemes because it is preseason. But the simple Cowboys defensive schemes will effectively shut down the Bengals simple offensive schemes and probably leave a push there. The Cowboys offense will not fare much better against a much-improved Bengals defense.

The Cowboys have spent a lot of time and money creating one of the deepest rosters in all of football. Jerry Jones understands that when a starter goes down, you need an adequate replacement or else the season could hang in the balance. Many of the Cowboys’ second, and even third, stringers could be starters on other teams. In the end, the Cowboys bench will be too much for the Bengals bench.

The key things to watch in this game are the running game of the Cowboys, the passing between Romo and Bryant and the passing between Palmer and Ochocinco. You will get a pretty good indication of how those aspects of the game will fare in the regular season by the start they get in the Hall of Fame game.

NFL Betting Pick: Dallas Cowboys 27-7

During a conference call with various media, Shanahan was asked on more than one occasion about the status of the broker, who is known to have been discussing various options and visiting diferent NFL betting teams as the St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.

"I have not heard anything about it. We want to be part of our squad, although we know that there is great competition for Brian, but Brian, who will take the decision, "said the coach before the questions of reporters.

Shanahan said that the managers of the Redskins will make an offer to Westbrook, hoping to agree.

The San Francisco Giants are currently four and a half games out of first place in the NL West, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are five and a half games out. There has not been a lot of NFL betting going on in Los Angeles in the last few years, but expectations for the Dodgers have been running very high. While the Dodgers have been exciting to watch, they have failed to live up to the hype.

If you bet on NCAA football, then you know that you usually go with the team with the strong quarterback. The San Francisco Giants have a steady quarterback in pitcher Tim Lincecum. The former Cy Young winner is having another stellar season, and he brings his 10-4 record and 2.94 ERA to the mound against the Dodgers in this game.

On the mound for the Dodgers will be Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is not a spectacular pitcher, he is solid and steady and will give the Dodgers more wins than losses over the course of a season. This year Kershaw has a 9-5 record and a 3.16 ERA. This fastball pitcher had a lot of control problems in his last start which was against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers are hoping Kershaw can bounce back and get on the winning track again.

When you bet on MLB games, it can almost look like a no-brainer when you have a Cy Young winner on the mound against a guy trying to re-claim his confidence. But you have to factor in team play to really get a feel for how a game could go.

In their last 10 games the San Francisco Giants have won eight, but they have a losing road record of 22-24. The Dodgers have lost six of their last 10, and they have a strong home record at 28-18. Manny Ramirez is unpredictable and the last guy you want as a team leader, and he is also having a lousy season. With only eight homers and 39 RBIs, Manny is hardly living up to his elite player billing.

The Dodgers have lost their last four games in a row, their bullpen has consistently let them down and they cannot get run production from their top players. They are facing Tim Lincecum who, in his last start, pitched a shut out against a good hitting team in the New York Mets.

The Dodgers free fall from grace will more than likely be the theme of their play in this second half of the regular season. In order to have a chance at making the playoffs, the Dodgers need to get production from players that have not produced all season and wins from a starting rotation that has struggled. This is not a good combination for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

BSNblog Pick: San Francisco Giants 3-1

The guard of the Washington Redskins, Mike Williams could miss the entire next season due to the presence of blood clots near her heart, The Washington Post reported.

The newspaper suggests that the Redskins squad is extremely alarmed at the health of Williams that could end his professional career in the NFL betting. However, the team's vice president, Tony Wyllie has refused to make statements.

Williams was the second pick of the Buffalo Bills in the Draft 2002, over four seasons with the Bills could never achieve the desired level of play, so it was sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Washington had been encouraged by his teammate Derrick Dockery and position to try to play cornerback, but was better positioned as a guard on the team that finished last betting odds season with a 4-12, where Williams was a starter in August occasions.

Artis Hick, Williams direct competition with the Redskins, will probably become the leading candidate for the post of Williams. Although it should also be taken into account the young guard, Will Montgomery, Chad Rinehart and Edwin Williams, who also have experience, but still must show potential to fill the position.

Tiger Woods (+405)

Woods set the record for a major win with his -19 in 2000 (ironically, Jack Nicklaus’ final British Open), then he won by five strokes over Colin Montgomerie in 2005. 2010 hasn’t been so kind to Woods, and he’s coming off a T-46 at the AT&T National, but he’s had fourth-place finishes at both the Masters and the US Open, so there is hope. NCAA football betting players know all about homefield advantage, and even though he’s not Scottish, Woods has one here.

Phil Mickelson (+1215)

Mickelson skipped last year’s Open at Turnberry (which was won by Stewart Cink in a playoff over Tom Watson), and he’s never really fared well in this event with just one top-10 since 2000. Mickelson was T-11 in 2000 here, but only T-60 in 2005, and he missed the cut at his warm-up tournament, the Barclays Scottish Open. But with Mickelson’s short game, you can’t count him out.

Rory McIlroy (+1415)

The 21-year-old has been picked by none other than Woods himself to win this event, which is huge for McIlroy, who is a massive Tiger fan. McIlroy has struggled a bit since his win at Quail Hollow, missing two cuts in four events, but he’s a great links player having grown up Northern Ireland, and he’s played well in his two British Open starts.

Justin Rose (+1850)

NFL football betting players know all about riding the hot hand, and in golf, Rose is the hot hand. The Englishman won the Memorial and the AT&T National, and he would have won the Travelers Championship as well if not for a poor Sunday. Rose has two top-15s in his last three starts at the British Open, and he’s trying to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1992 at Muirfield to win this event.

Padraig Harrington (+2250)/Graeme McDowell (+3050)

Take your pick from this duo of major winners. Harrington, an Irishman, won the British Open in 2008 and 2009, and while he’s been consistent Harrington will be a factor this week. McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach, he’s finished in the top 35 of his last two British Open starts, and he finished T-11 at St. Andrews in 2005 (Harrington finished T-20 in 2000).

Sports betting pick: Justin Rose (+1850)

Netherlands Spain Betting – Sunday, July 11th, 2:30 PM ET

The Netherlands held on for a 3-2 win over Uruguay in the semifinals, and as usual they were powered by the midfield duo of Wesley Sniejder and Arjen Robben, who each scored a goal. However, you could argue that Holland was boosted in the second half when they brought on Rafael Van Der Vaart, who came in to take some of the attention away from his more-hailed teammates. Captain Giovanni Van Brockhurst also scored one of the goals of the tournament in the first half for the Netherlands, who held the ball for 53% of the match. But Dutch fans may not be happy about the way their team sat back with leads of 1-0 and 3-1, to which Uruguay responded.

Spain won 1-0 over Germany in their semifinal match, but those who bet on NCAA football odds would compare this to Alabama’s rout of Florida last year: German was never really in this game. Carlos Puyol scored in the 73rd minute from a corner kick, which was delivered by Xavi, who put on a Man-of-The-Match performance against Bastian Schweinsteiger and the German midfield. Xavi set the tempo of the match beautifully with his range of passing, looking more like the player who guides Barcelona’s attack so well. If there was a negative about this match, it was that Spain really should have scored a couple more goals.

World Cup betting odds will be very close for this showdown, as the Netherlands have won four and drawn one of their eight meetings with Spain, who have outscored them 12-10 in those eight games. This match will be won in the midfield: the speed and power of the Dutch, against the patient possession game of the Spanish. The Dutch, probably Mark Van Bommel, can’t allow Xavi to have the time on the ball that the Germans let him have, or he’ll pick you apart every time. The Dutch may have to bring in Van Der Vaart to create some space for Robben and Sneijder. This is a match for the purists as it is two teams that look to attack, so this should be a wide-open game with plenty of chances. All in all, we’re going with Spain, because they played well below their standards to get to the semifinals, then showed why they’re ranked behind only Brazil in the FIFA rankings.

BSN Sports pick: Spain

Holland Uruguay Betting – Tuesday, 2:30 PM ET

NFL betting players can tell you that sometimes, it’s a game of two halves, and that was the story in the Dutch’s 2-1 win over Brazil. Holland were overrun by Brazil in the first 45 minutes, as they were unable to track any runs being made off the ball by the Brazilians. But they had a good team talk at halftime and came out a different side, and Wesley Sneijder netted a pair of goals to give the Dutch a famous win over the world’s No.1-ranked team. Arjen Robben was also a handful for Brazil’s Felipe Melo, tormenting Melo into a red card in the 73rd minute

If you bet on NCAA football, you may compare Uruguay to a team like Nebraska, a team that used to be great, and is making strides towards getting back to their best. Uruguay knocked out Ghana 4-2 on penalties after it was tied at one at the end of regulation, with Diego Forlan scoring from a brilliant free kick. Uruguay is perhaps a bit fortunate to be here as forward Luis Suarez played goalkeeper and used his hands to keep out a late Ghana shot. Suarez received a red card and will miss the match against the Netherlands, but then Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty that would have sent Uruguay packing. The Uruguayans then kept their composure to hold on in the shootout, and the two-time World Cup winners (1930, 1950) have done their country proud, outlasting South American rivals Brazil and Argentina in the World Cup.

World Cup betting odds have the Netherlands as a -165 favorite in this clash, while Uruguay was rated at +475, and a draw is rated at +260. These two have met just twice, with each team winning once, and the Dutch took the lone World Cup meeting against Uruguay, beating them 2-0 at West Germany 1974 in the group stages. The Dutch went on the finals that year, losing to West Germany, and a win over the Uruguayans would put them on a path for another possible meeting with the Germans. The loss of Suarez, who has scored three goals in this tournament, puts far too much pressure on Forlan to carry the attack against a Netherlands team who can rule the midfield with Sneidjer and Robben. It’s been a good run for Uruguay, but take Holland in your online betting picks.