NL East: Strasburg debut coming at right time for Nationals

Baseball Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everyone who follows baseball knew that Stephen Strasburg's 2010 debut for the Washington Nationals was a matter of when, not if.

Now we all know the date -- Tuesday, June 8 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates -- and it couldn't be coming at a better time for Washington.

Though not expected to be playoff challengers this year, the Nationals found themselves five games over .500 (20-15) and just a game back of first place in the National League East on May 13. However, Washington has dropped 14 of 20 games since, including three straight and five of its last six. That has the Nationals back to their usual spot of last place in the division, 6 1/2 games off the pace.

So, with nothing left to prove in the minors the Nationals are getting ready to begin the Strasburg era, and with the NL East still wide open, it isn't a reach to say that Washington could be battling for a playoff spot down the stretch if the top pick of the 2009 draft can live up to the hype.

His minor league numbers can't dispute that. The 21-year-old went 7-2 with a 1.30 earned run average in 11 combined starts with both Double-A and Triple-A. In what was scheduled to be his final minor-league game, Strasburg threw five scoreless innings on Tuesday for Triple-A Syracuse.

"It's going to be a great feeling on Tuesday," the right-hander told Washington's website.

"We believe he is ready to go," general manager Mike Rizzo told his team's site on Monday. "We like that Stephen could bounce back from tough outings."

Interestingly, the Nationals will host Strasburg's debut one day after they select the top pick of the 2010 draft. While Rizzo isn't saying who he has decided to pick, it seems likely that catcher/outfielder Bryce Harper will be negotiating a contract with the team not too long after Monday's draft.

Harper would be the offensive answer that Strasburg likely will be for the pitching staff. In 62 games at Southern Nevada, Harper hit .442 with 29 homers, 89 RBI and a by far team-leading .986 slugging percentage.

Harper's road to the majors will likely be a longer one than Strasburg, especially if Washington decides to keep him at catcher. Plus, Harper doesn't turn 18 until Oct. 16.

METS: CAN'T BUY SANTANA A VICTORY

The ace is usually known as the stopper, a pitcher a team can count on to halt losing streaks.

But the offense needs to help too.

Nobody knows that better than New York Mets ace Johan Santana, who is just 1-0 over his last five starts despite a 0.74 ERA. He has yielded just three earned runs over that 36 2/3-inning span, but the Mets are a mere 1-4.

Not that Santana hasn't done his part. In fact, he hasn't allowed a run over his last two starts, a string of 15 innings, but the Mets have lost both games. They dropped a 2-0 contest to the Brewers on May 28 despite eight shutout innings from their lefty and then squandered seven scoreless Santana frames on Wednesday in a 5-1 extra-inning loss to the Padres.

"He's had nothing but scoreless innings for us and we can't seem to get him a win," New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "He goes out there, competes, gives us every chance to get some things going but it looks like we kind of shut down offensively."

How much does Manuel need to rely Santana? Figure that on Wednesday, in a one- run game and Santana having already thrown 106 pitches, the skipper allowed his 31-year-old hurler to lead off the seventh inning at the plate.

Manuel was trying to avoid using his bullpen too much before going to closer Francisco Rodriguez, but even that formula didn't work. After Pedro Feliciano and Elmer Dessens combined to work a scoreless eighth inning, Rodriguez gave up the game-tying run in the ninth frame in a game Santana kept his team in all night.

"You know when [Santana] takes the mound you're going to be in the game at some point," Manuel said. "Whatever [the other teams] allow, he's not going to allow anything more than that. That's just who he is."

Wednesday's loss sent the Mets back home following a 2-4 road trip and an 8-18 mark overall as the guest this year. New York sits five games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

PHILLIES: LOOKING FOR AN OFFENSIVE SPARK

If the Philadelphia Phillies' hitting woes continue much longer, they will move past ice cold and into absolute zero territory.

The two-time defending NL champs have lost nine of their last 11, scoring just 14 runs in that span. That skid has the Phillies out of first place in the NL East as they now trail the Braves by three games. Philly was just swept in three games by Atlanta prior to Thursday's off day and wrapped a nine-game road trip 2-7.

Philadelphia's offense has been so bad as of late that one of its two wins was a perfect game by Roy Halladay on May 29. The Phillies, who have been shut out five times in their last 11 games, won that contest 1-0 on an unearned run.

"Our pitching has been great lately, but we haven't been scoring any runs for them," catcher Brian Schneider said after Wednesday's loss to the Braves. "I know every game counts but at least we have a lot of season left so we'll be ok."

Philadelphia hasn't scored more than three runs in any of its last 11 games for the first time since the first 11 games of the 1997 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Manager Charlie Manuel has tried some different player and lineup combinations to get things going, but with no luck. One player who could provide that spark is injured shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who is in the midst of his second disabled-list stint due to a strained right calf.

In 12 games this year, Rollins is hitting .341 with two homers, seven RBI and 11 runs scored.

Philadelphia could also use some production from the middle of its lineup, especially three-hole hitter Chase Utley.

"We're not really swinging the bats well obviously," said Utley, who is hitting .143 (6-for-42) over his last 11 games with no homers and one RBI. "Our pitching staff's doing a great job keeping us in a lot of games, which is a good sign.

"We've been through this before and we're going to come out of it. We just got to keep working and battling every day."

As a team, the Phillies are batting .197 over its last 11 games with just two home runs and 77 strikeouts. The pitching staff, meanwhile, has compiled a 4.11 ERA.

BRAVES: ROLL INTO FIRST PLACE

The Braves have seen hard work translate into a rocket trip up the NL East standings.

The Braves looked left for dead early on after a nine-game losing streak from April 21-29 had them last in the division and 4 1/2 games off the first-place pace. That deficit even reached 6 1/2 contests in mid-May, but a nine-game winning streak, the club's longest since a 15-game run from April 16-May 2, 2000, has the Braves three games up on the Phillies for the top spot in the NL East.

Atlanta is 19-4 over its last 23 games and opened a four-game set in Los Angeles on Thursday with a victory following home three-game sweeps of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

"We have a streak; [the pitching] is the reason we're in first place," Brian McCann said on Atlanta's website. "Now we're getting everything. We've been swinging the bats really well the last few weeks, the last month, and we're playing good baseball."

Nobody is swinging the bat better for Atlanta right now than Troy Glaus. Brought in over the winter to add pop to the Braves' lineup, the first baseman has put a slow start behind him (.194 in April) and leads all of baseball with 33 RBI since May 1. He is also hitting .379 (11-for-29) over a nine-game hitting streak with four home runs and was named the Player of the Month for May.

Glaus wasn't the only one honored for a strong May, as Jason Heyward picked up his second straight Rookie of the Month award. The much-hyped outfielder hit .327 in May with four homers and 19 RBI, becoming the first rookie since the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun in 2007 to claim the honor in consecutive months.

"He's amazing," Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones told MLB.com of Heyward. "Nothing surprises you. He's playing like an All-Star."

MARLINS: JJ BIG FISH IN MARLINS' POND

Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla said after Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that his club left a lot of runners on base, yet he gave the impression that he wasn't really worried.

That's because ace Josh Johnson was on the hill.

"He put us on his back, and you go along for the ride," Uggla said.

That wasn't something Johnson was able to do in 2007, when his season was limited to just four starts due to an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery for the right-hander. He has been outstanding since his return in July of 2008, going 28-8 in 59 starts since the surgery.

Johnson's efforts on Thursday allowed the Marlins to break even at 5-5 on a 10-game homestand with victories in four of the residency's final five games. He also showed his ability to bounce back from some tough luck last time out, when he was on the losing end of Phillies starter Roy Halladay's perfect game on Saturday.

The 26-year-old suffered the loss despite allowing just one unearned run over seven innings.

"It didn't even cross my mind the whole time," said Johnson on Florida's website after beating Milwaukee with seven innings of one-run ball. "Not even in the past five days."

The 2002 fourth round pick is 6-2 on the season with a 2.10 ERA and won the 40th game of his career on Thursday. He has allowed just two earned runs over his last five starts, going 3-1 with a 0.53 ERA.

Florida, 4 1/2 games back of the first-place Braves in the NL East, plays its next nine on the road at the Mets, Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays.

Sportsbook-internet-sportsbook Baseball Betting News

<< Union, Fire both in search of third win
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's Major League Soccer clash between the Philadelphia Union and the Chicago Fire will be a match between two-win clubs hoping to get on track. The Fire (2-3-4) were one of the favorites in th

<< Mets disable Castillo, designate Matthews
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets have placed second baseman Luis Castillo on the disabled list, retroactive to June 2, with a bruised right heel. Castillo underwent an MRI Thursday which was negative. He apparently s

<< Tallon's team rolls on without him
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Dale Tallon is the architect of this version of the Chicago Blackhawks that has the best chance of ending the NHL's longest current Stanley Cup championship drought.Only Tallon isn't part of the club anymore. After making most of

<< Final preparations for Test of Champions
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The day before the running of the 142nd Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, several of the 12 horses entered in the race had final preparations for the contest. Ice Box and Fly Down, both trained by Nick Zito, we

<< Siem and Dodt share Wales Open lead
Newport, Wales (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany's Marcel Siem shot a four-under 67 and Australia's Andrew Dodt had a one-under 70 to share the second-round lead Friday at the Wales Open. The duo finished 36 holes on the Celtic Manor course a

World Cup: Breaking down Group H >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain captured the Euro 2008 title to end a 44-year drought in major competitions, and enters the 2010 World Cup as one of the favorites alongside Brazil. Spain's starting 11 is easily the best in the Worl

World Cup: Breaking down Group G >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Considered to be this World Cup's "Group of Death," Group G features two of the world's three top-ranked teams - Brazil and Portugal - as well as a dangerous dark horse in the Ivory Coast and a relat

NL Central: What will Pirates do at #2? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have rarely found themselves in the spotlight in recent years, but the long-suffering franchise figures to receive a good deal of attention from two high-profile events set to take place early next week

World Cup: Breaking down Group F >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending World Cup champions Italy may be the beneficiaries of the most favorable draw in the entire World Cup as they will be heavily favored to win Group F, which includes Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zea

World Cup: Breaking down Group E >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Netherlands are clearly the best team in their group, but Group E remains wide open with Cameroon, Denmark and Japan all seeking the second spot in the knockout stage. Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk's si

NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

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

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.