04/13/2007 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The LA Angels of Anaheim placed pitcher Kelvim Escobar on the 15-day disabled list -- retroactive to April 9 -- Friday due to right shoulder irritation.
The 30-year-old right-hander is 1-1 with a 3.18 earned run average in two starts this season. This marks Escobar's sixth stint on the DL in his career.
The La Guaira, Venezuela native has an 84-84 career record with seven complete games, three shutouts, 59 saves and a 4.26 ERA in 383 games (173 starts). He was signed as a free agent on November 24, 2003, and is signed through the 2009 campaign.
Right-hander Hector Carrasco is slated to take Escobar's turn in the rotation for Sunday's game against Boston.
To replace Escobar on the roster, the Angels recalled pitcher Greg Jones from Triple-A Salt Lake. Jones has no record with a 4.50 ERA in three games with Salt Lake and has appeared in 29 career games with the Angels, posting no record and 5.18 ERA.
<< Santana, Twins aim to continue streaks at Metrodome against D-Rays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins hope to continue their recent mastery
of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays this evening, as they continue their four-game
series at the Metrodome.
Minnesota beat the Devil Rays for the 10th straight time in Minn
<< Cards sign C Leckey, three others
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed center Nick
Leckey to a one-year contract and inked free agents Rodney Bailey, Joe Tafoya
and Ralph Brown.
Leckey, a restricted free agent, appeared in 14 games for the Ca
<< Hornets need a win against Nuggets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-bound Denver Nuggets try to extend their
season-high winning streak to eight games when they resume a three-game road
trip tonight against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at the Ford Center.
Denver is hea
<< Wizards hope to halt losing streak versus Hawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Washington Wizards try and stop a season-
high six-game losing streak tonight when they close out a brief road trip
against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.
Washington is headed to the playoffs and is six
Duquesne names McConnell-Serio women's hoops coach >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duquesne University has named Suzie
McConnell-Serio its new women's basketball coach.
McConnell-Serio resigned as the head coach of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx last
July while in her fourth seaso
Columbus, Real Salt Lake try to build off openers >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake,
two non-playoff teams from a year ago from opposite conferences, are
looking to build off their first games of 2007 when they meet at Rice-Eccles
Stadium in Salt L
Rutgers women accept Imus' apology >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian
Stringer said Friday that the team has accepted the apology from radio
personality Don Imus.
The team met with Imus on Thursday night, just hours after
Changes begin at the top for Coyotes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Much to no one's surprise, the Phoenix Coyotes have already
began reshaping their franchise.
That reformation began Wednesday when the Coyotes dismissed three members of
their front office. Gone is general manager Mike Bar
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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