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**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 10:10 AM

United States vs. England Betting Preview

Each World Cup takes on its own flavor, but when the U.S. and England were announced as opening game last December, the entire soccer world took notice. For World Cup historians, the 1950 United States victory of England 1-0, still ranks among the biggest upsets of all-time. Can the U.S. find a way to repeat history? Here is a comprehensive breakdown of both squads heading into their initial contest of the tournament.

Bookmaker.com has England as -200 money line favorites or -1 goal at -115. The U.S. is +550 underdog on the ML and -105 at +1 goal. A draw is listed at +285.

Goal Keepers

England - David James has been in superb form for Portsmouth and seems to have matured so that the “Calamity” part of his nickname isn’t so prominent nowadays. James is a very good shot stopper and reads the game well, just needs to avoid venturing off his line and trust his defense to do the job. He has the experience edge over Joe Hart and Robert Green. Green is a very able back-up that will be solid. This stage may be a bit too big for Hart.

United States - Tim Howard has been a stud in the EPL for a few seasons. He's got a lot of experience at the international level and is the proven #1 goalie for the Americans. He is an excellent shot stopper that gives confidence to the defense. A team leader and motivator, he will be relied upon heavily in South Africa if the Americans are to advance past the group stage and beyond.

Defensemen
England - Glenn Johnson aside, one of the most solid and experienced defenses in the tournament which comes with more than dependable backups especially since Carragher came back into the fold. The weakest link could be Johnson, but Capello will have him on a short leash and go with Carragher or Milner if needed. If Johnson does perform up to potential he can add to England’s attacking threat as, like Cole on the other side, he’s fast, and likes to make surging runs. With a centre back pairing of King and Terry, England won’t concede many goals. King's fitness could be an issue if he has to play back to back games, the will need Dawson to feature in some spots along the way. The loss of Ferdinand just before the World Cup is a big blow but it’s not something they can’t overcome. The English are 11-2-1 ATS at -1 and 5-0-1 ATS away.

U.S. - The back line is a settled group with the starters well established. There are two issues: #1 the health of Onyewu, their most physical defender who's coming off season long injury. If he is anything less than 90% they will be in serious trouble in the tournament. The second issue is the left back position they have some experienced but not very good options with Bornstein and Spector. It looks like they will switch veteran Bocanegra there and take on a smaller drop-off in central defense. Solid group that can get the job done but they are vulnerable to speed.

Midfield

England - Gareth Barry won’t be ready for the opener against the USA but when he is, he will play in the centre holding while Lampard does his thing offensively. Gerrard is flexible enough to play on the right side and his long range shooting is a scoring threat any time he gets the ball inside 30 yards. Milner or Joe Cole are capable options off the bench. Carrick can fill either of the central midfield positions off the bench. Their quality and depth is what will win them games in this tournament.

U.S. -The midfield is the American's best compartment. They have quality and depth. They will play 2 defensive mids with Rangers' Edu and the coach's son Bradley in those central park positions, while speedster Besley looks to have recovered enough from riding the pine all season to steal the left mid position. Donovan gets the creative freedom to roam but is expected to lineup on the right as he did in his loan spell at Everton this winter. The depth will be called upon with Clark, another physical defensive mid, Torres and Holden two young but very creative attacking minds being the top choices off the bench. The U.S. is 15-3-2 ATS vs. today’s point spread (+1) and 5-3-1 ATS away.

Forwards

England - Huge expectations are being put on Rooney but he lives for this type of pressure and has proven he can deliver the goods. Expect his strike partner to vary throughout the tournament depending on matchups. Heskey is the ultimate hold-up man while Crouch’s height and delicate touch will play Rooney in. If England needs Rooney to drop back a little then Defoe can be the go to speed guy.

U.S. -The front like is a bit of hope in Jozy Altidore, a very young but well travelled physical specimen penciled in to start alongside EPL standout Clint Demsey, a play in behind the striker type of attacking mid/winger. The injury to Charley Davis really hurts this team as they have nobody with that set of assets (speed, confidence, ball control) to replace him. They have some natural opportunistic poaches on the bench in Buddle and Gomez plus a horse that can run in Findlay.

Coaching

England - Capello has turned this England team around. Indeed his success is based on the fact that they are now a true team, all pulling for each other. He wonï¿½t veer from the standard 4-4-2 too much unless it’s to drop Rooney a little to play a 4-4-1-1. He has the tactical knowledge to go head-to-head with any coach in this tournament and will concentrate more on what England will do to the opposition rather than the other way round. Their biggest challenge is to get them over the hump if a penalty shootout comes calling.

U.S. - Bob Bradley is been leading the US program into the second straight world cup campaign. He is a tactically sound coach that can make adjustments but he rarely can surprise. The focus is on defense, the team doesn't have the talent level to go end to end with most teams in the tournament. Will always play a 4-4-2 formation but has the option to switch to a defensive 4-5-1 where he will overload the midfield with 3 defensive specialists if a result is needed. He won't hurt the team with his decisions but the upside is limited too.

World Cup Outlook

England should win their group and that will set up a 2nd round matchup with Ghana or Serbia, neither of whom will be difficult to break down but still beatable. England will gain momentum as the tournament progresses and they seem bound for at least the semis. They really can compete in this tournament and have enough depth to overcome injuries and suspensions. Still there's something about their goaltending and defense that says we're good enough to win any game but at some point we will screw it up badly. Strong support from their traveling fans and they will probably get support from the hosts. England is 8-2 OVER when the total is 2.5 goals.

The Americans have the ability to get out of their group at the World Cup and from there on it's the type of tournament they like to play in. On any given night they have the ability to beat or be beaten by any opponent and that makes them a relatively dangerous team. They will be O.K. defensively if Onyewu is healthy. Otherwise they won't make it past the group stage. Scoring seems to be a concern pre tournament, but they have enough contributors on the pitch that they don't need the front line to carry the load. Most likely a round of 16 elimination is in the cards for a team that will be playing in some high scoring games. I would favor the OVER in all their games being 11-5 OVER this season when the total is 2.5 and they are capable of covering the big handicap vs. England in the opener.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 10:11 AM

MLB Series Betting- L.A. Angels at L.A. Dodgers

In Southern California, it is simply known as the I-5 Freeway Series when these two teams meet annually in interleague action. The interstate is known for its sprawling expanse and both teams play has resembled this roadway. Early in the season both Los Angeles’ teams played like they were stuck in neutral playing very ordinary baseball. However recently, both are like a car that just cleared an accident area, where the road opens up and you can punch the accelerator and take out off.

The Dodgers (36-24, +5.8 units) have been the best team in baseball since May 9, posting a 23-7 record to storm back and recapture first place in the NL West. The Dodgers offense has been relatively steady most of the season and ranks fifth in the National League; however it has been its pitching that has been the difference-maker. They have held opposing teams to three runs or less in 18 of last 30 games and moved from 14th to 8th in ERA in the senior circuit, now at 3.95. Joe Torre’s club doesn’t exactly have a collection of Golden Glover’s; nevertheless they are 15-3 after two straight games where they committed zero errors this season.

The Angels (33-30, +2.3) lost key members in the offseason via free agency and were expected to contend, not control the AL West in 2010. They met the lower expectations set for them playing below .500 since the third game of the season and even their most thrilling moment of the campaign turned into calamity, when their best hitter Kendry Morales fractured his fibula jumping on home plate after smacking walk-off grand slam home run. Baseball experts on ESPN and MLB immediately wrote off the Halos, but they forgot about the manager, Mike Scioscia. Instead of folding, the Angels have persevered; winning 10 of last 13, to move into second place, 1.5 games behind Texas. They will start this series 15-3 in road games after six consecutive starts versus division rivals.

The Blue Crew will have a decided pitching edge in the opener, with Chad Billingsley (6-3, 3.80 ERA) meeting Joel Pineiro (4-6, 5.23). Billingsley is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA in his last six starts and versus the Angels disharmonious bullpen (4.88, 1.664 WHIP), the home team is 10-1 against a horrible pen whose WHIP is 1.650 or worse over the last two seasons.

Pineiro snapped a personal three-game losing streak, but was far from impressive in permitting nine hits and four runs over six innings at Seattle in 9-4 triumph and is a disheveled 0-8 in interleague action the last two years. (Team's Record) It stands to reason for the Dodgers to be -164 money line favorite at Sportsbook.com in the opener as online sports betting activists will note.

Game 1 Edge: Dodgers

If the term “opposites attract”, these teams are a perfect match. Like all cities that support two baseball organizations, when one team is home the other is on the road. That is the case here as the Dodgers are 8-2 on their longest homestand of the season with three games left. This in turn has the Angels away from the Big A for 14 road contests and they’ve held up well with 8-3 record thus far.

Interleague baseball seems to bring out the best and worst of each squad, as the team from Anaheim has one of the best records since 2007 with 39-18 (+17.6) mark. The team playing in Chavez Ravine is among the weakest in baseball at 21-30 (-11.75).

Scott Kazmir (5-5, 5.40) will take the ball for the Halos, having won three of his last four starts. He’s spotted his pitches better of late, but command is his worst enemy. After having a better than 2-to-1 ratio of strikes and walks for his career, he has 39 punch-outs and handed out 27 free passes this year. He’ll be relying on his club’s history that shows 19-7 interleague road record coming into the series.

John Ely (3-2, 3.00) might not throw in the high 90’s, however has displayed pitching acumen by throwing strikes and staying out of trouble. His pinpoint location has kept his team in games and the Dodgers are 6-2 when Ely starts.

Game 2 Edge: Dodgers

Jered Weaver (5-3, 3.20) seldom has two poor outings in a row and he was rocked for 12 hits and six runs his last time out in Oakland. Weaver is tied for the AL lead in K’s with 89 and is 3-2 with a 2.94 ERA in six career starts against the Dodgers. He’s been especially fond of Dodger Stadium with a 0.55 ERA in three outings and the Angels are 14-9 in day games this season.

Rookie Carlos Monasterios (3-0, 2.27) was forced into duty when Vicente Padilla went on disabled list and the Dodgers were really hurting for a fifth starter. Despite almost no experience at this level, Monasterious has thrown better than anyone could have imagined and his .215 batting average allowed is the lowest among first year pitchers with two or more starts in a season full of rookie pitchers making big introductions. The Dodgers began this series 23-10 at home.

Game 3 Edge: Angels

This should be an entertaining series with anything possible. The teams have split 12 encounters the last two seasons with the road club taking the series each time. The Dodgers are playing better baseball, have the better bullpen (Closer Jonathan Broxton has converted 15 straight save opportunities) and have been exceptional at home. If the games are tight, the team in the white uniforms is 15-6 in one run affairs, including 9-1 at home. Give the edge to the team from L.A., the one closer to Hollywood.

Sportsbook.com series odds: Angels +140, Dodgers -180

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 10:12 AM

Saturday's Afternoon Tips

The folks at the FOX network return to the diamond this Saturday with another pair of televised battles, with this week’s coverage focusing on interleague action. Let’s take a closer look.
**White Sox at Cubs**

Since Interleague play started in 1997, the Windy City Series has been close to even. In the first 72 games, the White Sox hold a 37-35 edge over the Cubs, including a 4-2 performance last season.

On Friday afternoon, Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox doubled-up the Cubs 10-5 in the first game of this year’s crosstown series. A combined 26 hits and 15 runs helped the total easily go ‘over’ the closing number of 10 ½ runs. While this series usually receives top billing in the Windy City, this particular game played second fiddle to the Blackhawks, who won their first Stanley Cup on Wednesday.

The White Sox will send Mark Buehrle (3-6, 5.40 ERA) to the mound on Saturday and the club has won three of his last four starts, which is good news considering the team went 2-6 in his first eight starts. The 3-1 record is solid, but Buehrle’s also benefited from 27 runs from his offensive over this four-game span. Don’t be surprised to see a good effort here, especially when you look at his interleague stats. He’s tied for the most career interleague wins (20) and since 2008, Buehrle is 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA in nine starts against NL opponents. Total players might want to make a note that the ‘over’ has gone 7-4-1 in his 12 appearances this season.

Even though Chicago is eight games under .500 and eight games behind the Reds for the NL Central lead, the team has had one bright spot this season and its pitcher Carlos Silva (8-0, 2.93 ERA). The veteran is having a career season and Chicago fans couldn’t have imagined his success. The Cubs have won 10 straight starts with Silva on the hill after losing first his appearance, a 5-4 loss at Cincinnati back in early April. The total has gone 5-3-3 in Silva’s 11 games this year, but his last three have all gone ‘under.’ It will be curious to see if Silva can keep his success going this afternoon, considering he’s struggled against the White Sox (4-10, 5.52 ERA) over his career.

The Cubs have gone 14-14 at home this season, while the White Sox have produced a 12-15 mark on the road.

**Phillies at Red Sox**

Boston and Philadelphia meet for the second time this season, with this three-game set taking place at Fenway Park. The Red Sox took two of three from the Phillies in May and have now won four of the last six encounters between the pair. Since the two teams started squaring off in their interleague battles, Boston has gotten better of Philadelphia at home. The Red Sox have won eight of 12 and six of the last seven, but the pair hasn’t played at this venue since 2006.

The oddsmakers opened Boston as a $1.50 home favorite (Bet $150 to win $100) for Saturday and the number seems fair considering the recent encounters, plus the pitching matchup. The Red Sox dominated the Phillies 12-2 on Friday behind David Ortiz's bat and John Lackey's arm. The combined 14 runs easily jumped 'over' the closing number of 10.

After missing the first month of the season, Daisuke Matsuzaka (5-2, 4.59 ERA) is starting to get into a solid groove. Boston has won five of his eight starts this season, including three of the last four. During this run, the Japanese product has surrendered six earned runs and 17 hits in 27 1/3 innings. His control has been up and down, evidenced by 14 walks during over this span. Dice-K has already faced the Phillies this season on May 22 and he just missed a no-hitter. Despite giving up a hit in the bottom of the eighth, his teammates preserved the 5-0 shutout win.

The Phillies will counter with Joe Blanton (1-4, 6.07 ERA) and the hefty hurler also got a late jump on the season and he’s still looking for his form. Philadelphia is 2-5 in his seven starts, which includes three straight losses. Even though his numbers haven’t been consistent this season, Blanton (3-2, 3.61 ERA) has decent stats over his career against Boston, with eight of his nine starts coming with his stay in Oakland. Last year with the Phils, Blanton came up on the wrong side of a 5-2 loss to Boston, but he only gave up two earned runs.

The total on this game is sitting at 10 runs, which could be a tad high when you look at Phillies’ offense. Ironically, the drought started against Boston and Dice-K. Including that shutout, Philadelphia has scored 39 runs over its last 17 games, which translates to an average of 2.3 runs per games. It should be noted that All-Star Jimmy Rollins went on the DL at the start of this skid, which has watched the Phillies go 5-12 over this span.

Philadelphia has gone 15-14 on the road this season, while Boston owns an 18-14 record at home.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 11:05 AM

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
06/11/10 6-4-0 60.00% +800 Detail
06/10/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
06/08/10 2-2-0 50.00% -100 Detail
06/06/10 2-4-0 33.33% -1200 Detail
06/05/10 3-5-0 37.50% -1250 Detail
06/04/10 4-4-0 50.00% -200 Detail
06/03/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
06/01/10 2-2-0 50.00% -100 Detail
Totals 20-24-0 45.45% -3200

Saturday, June 12Game Score Status Pick Amount

New York - 7:00 PM ET New York +4.5 500 *****
Washington - Over 148.5 500 *****

Tulsa - 10:00 PM ET Tulsa +10.5 500 *****
Phoenix - Over 187 500 *****

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 11:19 AM

Evening Games:

NY Mets - 7:05 PM ET NY Mets +105 500 *****
Baltimore - Under 9 500

Washington - 7:05 PM ET Cleveland -127 500
Cleveland - Over 9 500

Pittsburgh - 7:05 PM ET Pittsburgh +168 500 *****
Detroit - Under 9 500 *****

Kansas City - 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati -172 500
Cincinnati - Over 8.5 500 *****

Atlanta - 7:10 PM ET Minnesota -124 500
Minnesota - Under 9.5 500 *****

Florida - 7:10 PM ET Florida +169 500 *****
Tampa Bay - Over 8.5 500 *****

Texas - 7:10 PM ET Texas -101 500
Milwaukee - Over 9.5 500

Toronto - 8:10 PM ET Toronto +122 500 *****
Colorado - Under 9.5 500

St. Louis - 8:10 PM ET St. Louis +136 500 *****
Arizona - Under 9.5 500 *****

Seattle - 8:35 PM ET Seattle -122 500
San Diego - Under 6.5 500

Oakland - 9:05 PM ET San Francisco -125 500
San Francisco - Under 7.5 500 *****

LA Angels - 10:10 PM ET LA Angels +141 500 *****
LA Dodgers - Over 8.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 11:23 AM

Pitchers Report - June

If it’s June, school is out. And so too will be the NBA (we think). It’s also the time of the season when MLB pitchers look to ace exams in hopes of keeping their teams in the pennant chase. To get a better feel on what to expect, let’s examine their results from exams in the past.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the last three seasons during the month of June. On the flip side, we’ve also listed pitchers that struggle in June team starts, winning 33% percent or less of their efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each June over the last three years. I’ll be back next month with July’s Good Month Pitchers. Until then, enjoy…

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

Gavin Floyd - Chicago White Sox: 10-2
Dan Haren - Arizona Diamondbacks 13-4
Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners: 12-2
Scott Kazmir - L.A. Angels: 8-4
John Lackey - Boston Red Sox 11-4
Ricky Nolasco - Florida Marlins: 8-2
Andy Pettitte - N.Y. Yankees: 11-5
Tim Wakefield - Boston Red Sox: 11-5
Carlos Zambrano - Chicago Cubs: 14-3

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Bronson Arroyo - Cincinnati Reds: 4-13
Joe Blanton - Philadelphia Phillies: 5-12
Jon Garland - San Diego Padres: 5-11
Livan Hernandez - Washington Nationals: 6-12
Tim Hudson - Atlanta Braves: 4-8

**jt4545** · 06-12-2010, 01:01 PM

Good luck and thanks

**StarDust Bum** · 06-12-2010, 06:48 PM

Interleague Results (1997-2010)

AMERICAN LEAGUE RESULTS (1997-2010)
AL TEAMS W-L *** 2007 2008 2009 2010
Baltimore Orioles 92-122 6-12 11-7 11-7 1-2
Boston Red Sox 117-97 12-6 11-7 11-7 2-1
Chicago White Sox 118-97 4-14 12-6 11-6 2-1
Cleveland Indians 109-105 8-8 6-12 5-13 1-2
Detroit Tigers 114-100 14-4 13-5 10-8 1-2
Kansas City Royals 100-114 10-8 13-5 8-10 1-2
LA Angels of Anaheim 116-99 14-4 10-8 14-4 1-2
Minnesota Twins 123-90 11-7 14-4 12-6 2-1
New York Yankees 124-88 10-8 10-7 10-8 1-2
Oakland Athletics 124-91 10-8 10-8 5-13 3-0
Seattle Mariners 118-97 9-9 9-9 11-7 1-2
Tampa Bay Rays 88-111 7-11 12-6 13-5 2-1
Texas Rangers 106-109 11-7 10-8 9-9 1-2
Toronto Blue Jays 101-113 10-8 8-10 7-11 1-2
AL Totals 1,650-1,515* 137-115 137-115 137-114 19-23

NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS (1997-2010)
NL TEAMS W-L *** 2007 2008 2009 2010
Arizona Diamondbacks 81-94 8-7 6-9 5-10 2-1
Atlanta Braves 106-93 4-11 8-7 7-8 0-0
Chicago Cubs 84-88 8-4 6-9 7-7 2-1
Cincinnati Reds 79-96 7-11 9-6 6-9 2-1
Colorado Rockies 85-96 10-8 7-8 11-4 2-1
Florida Marlins 111-93 9-9 5-10 10-8 1-2
Houston Astros 94-94 9-9 7-11 6-9 1-2
Los Angeles Dodgers 91-103 5-10 5-10 9-9 2-1
Milwaukee Brewers 79-93 8-7 7-8 5-10 1-2
New York Mets 102-97 8-7 9-6 5-10 2-1
Philadelphia Phillies 92-110 8-7 3-15 6-12 1-2
Pittsburgh Pirates 63-105 5-10 5-9 8-7 0-0
St. Louis Cardinals 93-85 6-9 7-8 9-6 2-1
San Diego Padres 83-111 6-9 3-15 5-10 2-1
San Francisco Giants 98-99 5-10 6-12 9-6 0-3
Washington Nationals** 106-108 9-9 8-10 7-11 2-1
NL Totals 1,514-1,650 115-137 36-49 114-137 23-19

* Milwaukee's 1997 W-L record (8-7) is reflected in the AL totals

** Formerly the Montreal Expos

*** Does not include 2010 results

**bryce** · 06-12-2010, 07:30 PM

Thanks for the info!!

GL SDB!!

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