Cards seek to gain further ground on first-place Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Wainwright tries once again to become the National League's first 18-game winner when the St. Louis Cardinals continue their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds today at Busch Stadium.

Like his team, Wainwright has hit the skids as of late, losing three straight starts for the first time in his career while allowing 11 runs in 19 innings of those outings to raise his earned run average to a still-impressive 2.30.

Wainwright's last loss came in Washington on Sunday, as he allowed four runs and six hits in five innings to fall to 17-9 on the year.

"It definitely stings more when you know your team needs wins and you pitch like that," Wainwright said after that game. "I'm pretty ticked about that. I try to be the stopper, not the guy that continues the losing."

Wainwright's last win came at the expense of the Reds back on August 11, when he tossed seven scoreless innings. He is 3-3 lifetime against them with a 4.01 ERA in 12 games, seven of which have been starts.

The 29-year-old right-hander has been dominant at home this season, having posted an 11-1 mark with a 1.42 ERA in 13 starts.

St. Louis picked up a game on the NL Central-leading Reds in the opener of this set on Friday, as Jaime Garcia kept an unbeaten streak against Cincinnati intact with 6 2/3 effective innings and Jon Jay set the tone with a first- inning RBI triple and run scored in the Cardinals' 3-2 win.

Garcia (13-6) won his fourth start in as many tries versus the Reds this season by limiting surging Cincinnati to six hits and two runs while striking out six.

"It's a big win for us, no matter who we were playing," Garcia said. "I see it now a little bit different, that it's a big win against them. But before the game I was just trying to treat it like any team. Just go out there and don't try to do too much."

Ryan Franklin picked up his 23rd save with a spotless ninth to give the Cardinals their fifth straight win against the Reds. Skip Schumaker collected two hits and an RBI in the much-needed win that snapped St. Louis' season-high five-game skid.

The last time these two teams met the Cardinals earned a three-game sweep that gave them sole possession of first place in the division. Since then Cincinnati had won 14 of 18 while the Cards went 5-13 prior to Friday's result, which cut the Reds' lead in the division to seven games.

Bronson Arroyo (14-9) suffered the loss for giving up three runs and six hits in six innings. Paul Janish provided a solo home run in the loss that stunted the Reds' four-game win streak.

"There's not as much pressure, but tonight would have taken a lot of pressure off of us if we had got one tonight," said Arroyo after the game. "Now we know we have to grind it now just to get one [win]. We've got the two best pitchers in the National League going [against us] the next two days. Tonight was huge. We've got two games left, anything can happen."

Cincinnati will turn to rookie left-hander Travis Wood, who is 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA, for today's contest. Wood did not get a decision on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, as he allowed three runs and 10 hits in five innings of his team's 7-5 win.

Wood has never faced the Cards.

The Cardinals have won 11 of 16 games versus the Reds this year.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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