Red Sox turn to Beckett aiming for sweep of Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Beckett makes his second start since returning from the disabled list this afternoon when the Boston Red Sox try to complete a three-game sweep against the LA Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium.

Boston, which was swept by Anaheim in last year's ALDS, already swept a four- game set from the Angels in Fenway earlier in the year and is 6-0 against them this season while also winning eight of the last nine meetings overall.

Beckett, who is 1-1 with a 6.66 earned run average on the year, returned on Friday after missing two months with a back injury, but did not get a decision in Seattle, as he allowed a run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings of his team's 2-1 win.

"Oh man, that was so encouraging," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona of Beckett's impressive return. "The ball came out of his hand good. He threw his breaking ball really well, and that's what he had really wanted to spend the majority of his time on in the bullpen session with [pitching coach] John [Farrell], and it was crisp."

Beckett has faced the Angels eight times and is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA.

The Angels, meanwhile, will counter with righty Joel Pineiro, who lost for the first time in eight decisions last Wednesday in New York. The Yankees reached him for six runs and 11 hits in six innings in that one, dropping Pineiro to 10-7 on the year to go along with a 4.18 ERA.

Pineiro lost to the Red Sox earlier in the season and is 3-6 lifetime versus them with a 5.94 ERA.

John Lackey had a successful return to Anaheim on Tuesday, as he pitched 7 1/3 quality innings to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win.

Lackey (10-5), who pitched for the Angels for his entire eight-year career before inking a free agent contract with Boston in the offseason, allowed two runs on seven hits for the Red Sox, who have won two straight games and four of six overall.

Jed Lowrie hit a two-run double and Adrian Beltre added a key RBI in the victory.

Bobby Abreu hit a solo home run and finished with two RBI for the struggling Angels, who have dropped three straight and six of their last seven games.

Jered Weaver started on the hill for Los Angeles and was very strong through six scoreless innings, but suffered the loss. Weaver (9-7) exited after seven full frames and ended with a line that showed two runs allowed on six hits with eight strikeouts.

The Red Sox swept a four-game home set over the Angels from May 3-6, but have lost seven of their last 11 in Anaheim.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.