Johnson hopes for record-setting start in Marlins-Giants tilt

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson could put himself into the record books when the Florida Marlins continue their four-game series with the San Francisco Giants this evening at AT&T Park.

Johnson has gone 13 straight starts without allowing more than two earned runs, a streak dating back to May 8 when he surrendered three runs to the Washington Nationals. The only streak longer was Mike Scott's amazing 14-game run with the Houston Astros in 1986.

"I'm just going out there with the mindset, if something's working, don't change it," Johnson said. "I try to keep my team in the game. I don't know what to tell you. I try not to put any extra pressure on myself. I do what I'm doing in each game."

Johnson lowered his league-leading earned run average to 1.61 Thursday against Colorado but did not get a win, as he allowed a run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He is 10-3 on the season.

However, the Giants have had their way with Johnson, who is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts against them.

The Marlins continued to creep up the standings on Monday, as Dan Uggla and Mike Stanton homered to back the strong pitching of Ricky Nolasco in Florida's 4-3 win.

Nolasco (11-7) allowed four hits, a run, walked a batter and had seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts.

"I understood those guys were putting up some really good at-bats, fouling of a lot of good pitches," Nolasco said. "I just wasn't going to give in. Obviously I wanted to keep my pitch count down, but I wasn't able to pitch deeper in the game."

Stanton drove in two and Leo Nunez surrendered a run in the ninth, but left the potential tying tally at third for his 24th save as the Marlins posted their eighth win in 10 games.

Barry Zito (8-6) permitted eight hits and three runs over 6 1/3 innings and suffered his first career loss when facing Florida. Zito, who had been 5-0 in six starts versus the Marlins, had three strikeouts.

Aaron Rowand belted a pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning, but the Giants had a four-game winning streak broken and lost for just the fourth time in their last 19 contests. Buster Posey extended his hitting streak to 19 games, the second-longest by a San Francisco rookie since Hall of Famer Willie McCovey's 22-gamer in 1959.

Getting the call for the Giants tonight will be righty Matt Cain, who has won his last two starts. Cain was brilliant Thursday in Arizona, as he scattered three hits over eight scoreless innings to run his record to 8-8 while lowering his ERA to 3.10.

Cain beat the Marlins back on May 6 and is 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA in six starts against them.

San Francisco swept a three-game set from the Marlins earlier in the year and has won five of the last seven meetings in the series.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.