Braves' Jones back in lineup in 4-0 win over Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

07/10/2010 -

NEW YORK (AP) -When Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones had back spasms after one night in the team hotel in New York, his solution was easy: sleep on the floor.

Jones was back in the starting lineup in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the New York Mets after sitting out the previous night. He has spent two nights on the floor in his room and said he plans to also sleep there Saturday night.

``I don't have a problem with any of the other beds in the league except these,'' he said.

Jones said he was still bothered by his back Saturday. During one play in the infield, he let a ball go through his legs. He also said it hurt more to swing right-handed than left-handed.

But Jones said he has made adjustments for the pain.

``It was doable today,'' he said.

Manager Bobby Cox said before the game - perhaps jokingly - that the beds were uncomfortable.

Jones was booed during pregame introductions and each at-bat. He entered Saturday's game batting .319 with 42 home runs in his career against the Mets. He scored one run and had two hits in the Braves' second consecutive win against the Mets.

He isn't the only Braves player dealing with injuries.

Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward is on the 15-day disabled list because of a deep bone bruise in his left thumb that will keep him out of the All-Star game.

Heyward was scheduled to take batting practice with Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday night. He will travel to Anaheim, where the All-Star game will be held Tuesday. Heyward will not play, but will take batting practice Monday and Tuesday.

``Hopefully, he'll be back after the break,'' Cox said. ``But we don't know until he starts swinging.''

Braves outfielder Nate McLouth started a rehab assignment with Gwinnett on Friday night, going 1 for 3 against Charlotte. He's been out since June 9, when he collided with Heyward chasing a fly ball and hurt his head.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwwhatsthedownload Baseball Betting News

<< Report: Redskins OL Williams to miss season
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Post is reporting that Redskins starting right guard Mike Williams could be sidelined for the 2010 season because of blood clots near his heart. Team sources have told the paper

<< Dutch, Spain both eye history-making victory
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - History will be made at Soccer City on Sunday in the final of the FIFA World Cup as either the Netherlands or Spain will claim its first-ever World Cup title. One of the two sides will becom

<< Soto and Castro carry Cubs past Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez homered and the Cubs scored six times in the first three innings to land a 7-3 win against the Dodgers in the continuation of a four-game series from Chavez Ravine.

<< Hudson dominates Mets
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Hudson's RBI double punctuated a four-run fifth inning that propelled the Atlanta Braves to a 4-0 win over the New York Mets. Hudson (9-4) was masterful on the mound, limiting New York to four hits i

<< Wilcox leads by one in Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Wilcox fired an eight-under 64 Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Dakota Dunes Casino Open. Wilcox completed 54 holes at 19-under-par 197 to break the three-round tourn

Nash thinks Miami has great tools, needs a team >>
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) -Steve Nash says there is no doubt the Miami Heat have the talent to win an NBA title next year.The question the All-Star guard has is: Do they have the team?Speaking at halftime of a New York Red Bulls MLS game, Nash says he und

Opportunistic Earthquakes edge Union >>
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes earned an opportunistic 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer action at PPL Park on Saturday evening. The win was made possible because of a num

Awesome Gem edges Rail Trip to win Hollywood Gold Cup >>
Inglewood, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Awesome Gem, ridden by David Flores, found room along the rail and was able to hold off defending champ Rail Trip to capture Saturday's $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park. The seven-year-o

Heyward pulls out of All-Star Game >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Braves rookie right fielder Jason Heyward won't play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Heyward, 20, was voted as a starter by the fans but is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb ailment. He

Furcal replaces Reyes on NL All-Star roster >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will miss the All-Star Game on Tuesday due to a strained right oblique. Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal was chosen to replace Reyes and will make his second appearance in

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.