Major League Baseball Betting: NY- Boston rivalry resumes!

MLB / Nick Shiambouros / 05 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Can Sabathia help NY upset the odds at Fenway?

"Sabathia and Lackey are vulnerable for different reasons and could make costly mistakes."

There are some outstanding fixtures this weekend, featuring some of MLB's best teams. Nick Shiambouros selects bets from three games that you can watch live on ESPN America.

Saturday

New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox

CC Sabathia is on the hill for the Yankees. This lefty has a record of 16-5 and an ERA of just 2.55. Sabathia is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game and is in superb form. His ERA in his last eight starts is a remarkable 1.01. He has an outstanding fastball that works very well with his changeup and slider. Surprisingly, Sabathia has not had a great deal of success against Boston this season. His ERA is a disappointing 6.16 against the hard hitting Red Sox

The Red Sox start John Lackey who has a record of 9-8 and an ERA of 6.23. This veteran has not pitched well this season. He was smashed all over the park against Cleveland on Monday . He gave up five earned runs on eight hits in nearly seven innings. Lackey's winning record is mainly due to the outstanding Boston offense that has got him out of trouble all season long.

These two great teams are locked together at the top of the AL East. They have an identical record of 68-42 and hold a ten game advantage over third placed Tampa Bay. I think the safest option in this game is to back the over total runs market at around [2.0].

Both pitchers are vulnerable for different reasons and could make costly mistakes. In addition the Red Sox have been on fire offensively at Fenway Park this season and are averaging .304 as a team. The Yankees are averaging .261 on the road which represents the third best record in the AL.

Cleveland Indians v Texas Rangers

Fausto Carmona has the pitching assignment for Cleveland. This right-hander has a record of 5-11 and an ERA of 5.31. His numbers do not look pretty but he has not pitched all that badly since returning from injury last month. His main problem is his low strikeout percentage. He only has 68 strikeouts in almost 124 innings which is moderate to say the least.

C.J. Wilson will start for the Rangers. This left-hander has a record of 10-5 and an ERA of 3.37. Wilson has hit a bump in the road in his last two starts and has allowed 10 earned runs in almost nine innings. He is normally a pretty reliable starter who has a decent fastball and an excellent slider in his repertoire.

The Rangers are leading the AL West with a record of 62-50 and are on course for a playoff
berth. Cleveland is in second place in the AL Central with a record of 54-54. My money is on Texas. They are 19-15 against AL Central opponents and their explosive offense has produced 562 runs this year.

I think they should be able to get to Fausto Carmona in the early going and should be backed at around [1.7] in the match odds market.

Sunday

St.Louis Cardinals v Florida Marlins

Jaime Garcia will start for the Cardinals.This left-hander has a record of 10-5 and an ERA of 3.22. Garcia was involved in a wild game against Milwaukee on Tuesday night when he gave up three earned runs and ten hits in a no decision. He also launched a three run homer in the game which St Louis won 8-7.

Javier Vazquez will start for the Marlins. This veteran has a record of 7-9 and an ERA of 4.88. Vazquez has an excellent fastball which has been clocked at 93mph this year. He has pitched very well recently and has lowered his ERA to 2.26 in just under 56 innings.

The Cardinals are in second place in the NL Central with a record of 59-53. They are three games behind Milwaukee who lead the division.

The Marlins are in fourth place in the NL East with a record of 55-56. I believe they can cause an upset in this one. Javier Vazquez is pitching far better than his numbers suggest and his recent ERA of 2.26 is a much better indicator of his chances against this tough St. Louis team. The Marlins are well worth an interest at around [2.2].

Recommended Bets
Saturday: Back the over total runs at [2.0] New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox 1pt
Saturday: Back Texas Rangers in the match odds market at [1.7] 2pts
Sunday: Back Florida Marlins in the match odds market at [2.2] 1pt

Nick "fastball" Shiambouros throws down the best bets for his MLB Game of the Week......

Three televised matches from the MLB this weekend on our TV screens courtesy of our friends at ESPN America. Here's what our other friend, Nick, makes of them all....

Nick Shiambouros selects the best for his game of the week: Florida Marlins v Washington Nationals....

Betfair website

Tim Vickery's Copa America: Argentina and Brazil renew rivalry

Copa America Team Profiles / Tim Vickery / 27 June 2011 / 1 Comments

Are Brazil heading for a third consecutive Copa America?

"Sergio Batista’s imitation Buenos Aires Barcelona some times look like the real thing, with inspired interplay where midfielder Banega links up with Messi much as Xavi does at club level."

They're the stars of South American football, fierce rivals and the top two in Betfair's Copa America market. But will Argentina and Brazil be the teams to beat once again? Tim Vickery reports.

The last two versions of the Copa America have concluded with the dream final, with Brazil ([3.35] to win this time) overcoming Argentina ([2.02]) both times, sneaking a last gasp equaliser to win on penalties in Peru in 2004, and counter-attacking their way to comfortable victory in Venezuela three years later.

If everything goes to form, and the Betfair markets are proved right, they should meet up once more to decide the destiny of the title on July 24 - and this time, of course, Argentina are favourites and will have home advantage.

They also have plenty of other things going for them. Coach Sergio Batista's imitation Buenos Aires Barcelona have moments when they look like the real thing, with inspired interplay where midfielder Ever Banega links up with Lionel Messi much as Xavi does at club level. Doubts exist as to whether flank strikers Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria are sufficiently incisive in the penalty area, but with Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, plus Higuain as a target man, there are plenty of attacking options.

The problems come at the other end. Argentina are unlikely to be able to sustain Barcelona-style pressing for the full 90 minutes, and as the game gets dragged back into their half, defensive problems can appear. The current crop of centre backs do not inspire great confidence, the goalkeepers even less so.

Such deficiencies are unlikely to be exposed in the first phase - Argentina have been given the easiest of the three groups - but in the knock out games, with the tension rising, that creaking defence will surely be put to the test - Brazil will certainly give it a thorough examination should they meet in the final or before.

They have a different challenge. Their defensive line looks solid - how Argentina would love a centre back with the speed, quality and quiet authority of Thiago Silva! Since Mano Menezes took over after last year's World Cup, the team have conceded just two goals in eight matches - one of them Messi's last minute winner when they met Argentina in Doha back in November.

Their problem that day - as it has been in the first year of the Menezes reign - has been to find the right attacking blend. The match against Argentina illustrated once more that the current side can struggle in the absence of a genuine centre forward, a penalty area specialist who can act as reference point and provide a platform for the likes of Neymar cutting in from behind. Leading striker Alexandre Pato scored in the first three matches after the World Cup, but is more of a mobile striker than a traditional number nine - and with the surprising omission of Leandro Damiao, the injury prone Fred is the only option of this type available.

Menezes' big hope is that time on the training ground will help his team to click, and that Santos' Paulo Henrique Ganso's recovery from injury gives him a playmaker capable of organising the attack.

His big fear, meanwhile, is that a lack of self-control might lead to red cards - as happened in the fateful World Cup quarter-final, and also in friendlies this year against France and Holland.

But if Brazil [3.3] can retain their emotional balance, then a better balance between attack and defence should make them strong candidates for a third consecutive Copa triumph, and better value than the hosts Argentina [2.02] even if they do meet in the final.

Recommended bet:

Back Brazil to win the Copa America @ [3.4]

Ecuador have failed to claim so much as a point in three of their last four Copa America appearances, but have enough talent to avoid firing another blank....

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