8-26-13

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US Open betting: Opening day preview
By JAY PRIMETOWN

Monday, August 26 kicks off the opening day of tennis' final Grand Slam of the year in Flushing Meadows, NY. While defending men's champion Andy Murray doesn't kick off his title defense until Tuesday, defending women's champion Serena Williams will begin her charge to repeat on opening day. Here are some matches to watch on opening day at the US Open:

Serena Williams vs. Francesca Schiavone: The defending champion and top player in the world enters the US Open having made the finals in her last three tournaments; all on hard courts. Williams did lose her last match to rival Vika Azarenka and should be able to take out the frustrations of that loss on the clay court specialist Schiavone.

Ryan Harrison vs. Rafael Nadal: The most in form player in men's tennis Rafael Nadal looks to win his 2nd US Open as he opens up against American Ryan Harrison. Nadal has won two straight tournaments (including a win over Novak Djokovic in the process) and has yet to lose a match on hard courts this year. One of those wins was over Harrison at Indian Wells. Harrison played Nadal well in the first set losing in a tiebreak prior to succumbing to Nadal's relentless pressure in the second set. Can the American give Nadal a scare in New York?

Kirsten Flipkens vs. Venus Williams: The top matchup of Day 1 pits 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens against two time US Open Champion Venus Williams. This is a battle of styles as Williams is a power player while Flipkens is a crafty player who uses a lot of slices. Flipkens beat Williams early this summer in Toronto in a 3 set match. However, it needs to be noted that Williams has never lost in the opening round of the US Open in 14 previous appearances.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Madison Keys: Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic has had a solid summer losing in her last two tournaments to eventual finalists in Sorana Cirstea (Toronto) and Vika Azarenka (Cincinnati). Jankovic is a good hard court player having made the finals here in 2007 and has made the semifinals in two of the biggest tournaments on the calendar (Indian Wells and Cincinnati) this year. Keys, an 18-year-old American, has struggled this summer with injuries and has been unable to get into a rhythm and string together consecutive victories. Keys has big time power and if her game is on could make for a competitive match. Otherwise, Jankovic will outclass her in straight sets.

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US Open men's preview: Djoker the fave, but Rafa sizzling
By JAYPRIMETOWN

Over the last two years, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Great Britain’s Andy Murray have emerged as the sport’s two best hard court players. However, it is the greatest clay court player of all time who is grabbing all of the headlines heading into this year’s US Open.

Buoyed by consecutive US Open Cup Series titles in Montreal and Cincinnati, Spain’s Rafael Nadal is the hottest player in tennis. Nadal is undefeated on hard courts this year with a record of 15-0 including titles at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament in California in March as well as Montreal and Cincinnati.

Nadal, +290 to win the tournament, has a solid track record at the year’s final major. While he withdrew from the tournament in 2012 due to injury, he had previously made the semifinal or better in 4 consecutive years. Furthermore, he won the tournament in 2010 and lost to Djokovic in the final in 2011.

Novak Djokovic is the oddsmakers’ favorite at +190 and is looking to improve on his incredible run of 13 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances. Djokovic has made the final each of the last 3 years and will be tough to beat.

Defending US Open Champion Andy Murray is sitting at a generous +365. Murray has had an excellent 12 months having won his first two major titles and has had success against Djokovic having won 5 of their last 10 meetings.

Darkhorses include the hard hitting Jerzy Janowicz (+11500) and Milos Raonic (+12500). American John Isner (+10500) has made the final in 3 of 4 hard court events this summer and can certainly make a deep run looking for his first grand slam title with the home crowd behind him.

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Premier League betting: Monday's EPL cheat sheet

Needless to say, Monday's match is a big one. Even at this early stage of the season. Two of the favorites for the Premier League title square off at the hallowed grounds of Old Trafford.

Manchester United v Chelsea (+150, +240, +200)

Why bet Man United: The Red Devils picked up right where last season's championship winning run ended. United thrashed a quality Swansea City side by a score of 4-1 in Wales. As long as Dutch striker Robin Van Persie is up front, United will be a tough beat. Last season's top scorer bagged a pair of goals to get new boss David Moyes off to a flying start.

Key players out/doubtful: Javier Hernández, Nani, Ashley Young, Darren Fletcher

Why bet Chelsea: Jose Mourinho is always a thorn in the side of United. The Special One only lost two out of 10 matches versus United in his first tenure as boss of Chelsea. In their opener versus Hull a week ago, the Blues looked good throughout, but certainly weren't dominant. Chelsea has defeated United 14 times in the Premier League. No club has had better success versus the Red Devils.

Key players out/doubtful: David Luiz, Juan Mata

2012-13 fixture result: Manchester United 0, Chelsea 1

Key betting note: The two clubs met five times in all competitions in 2012-13. Chelsea won three times, with United winning one.

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Monday's American League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Monday's American League games:

Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals (+110, 8.5)

Cold pitching stat: Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is 0-4 in his last five starts and surrendered eight runs over 5 2/3 innings in his last encounter with the Royals.

Hot batting stat: Tampa Bay OF Matt Joyce is 11-for-30 with two home runs and seven RBIs against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-90s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out toward center field at 11 mph.

Key betting note: Kansas City is 12-1 in Guthrie's last 13 home starts against a team with a winning record.


New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (-107, 9)

Cold pitching stat: Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes is 0-5 in his last eight starts, including a no-decision in his last meeting with Toronto six days ago.

Hot batting stat: New York OF Alfonso Soriano has homered twice in nine career at-bats against Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to right field at 7 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 10-2 in Toronto's last 12 games against the American League East.


Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers (-165, 8)

Hot pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez has allowed just one home run in 70 1/3 innings at Comerica Park.

Hot batting stat: Miguel Cabrera has a double and a homer in his only two at-bats against Athletics righty A.J. Griffin.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with a 35 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 9 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 10-1 in Griffin's last 11 starts against teams with winning records.


Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox (-150, 8.5)

Hot pitching stat: Astros left-hander Brett Oberholtzer has recorded four straight quality starts since entering the rotation July 31.

Cold batting stat: Houston OF Chris Carter is 2-for-20 with 14 strikeouts over his last six games.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s with partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 9 mph.

Key betting note: Chicago is 2-8 in its last 10 games against opponents who scored two or fewer runs in their previous game.


Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners (+117, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Mariners left-hander Joe Saunders is 4-9 with a 6.17 ERA in 15 career starts against the Rangers.

Hot batting stat: Texas 2B Ian Kinsler is 11-for-33 with four home runs against Saunders.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with a 40 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow out to right field at 8 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 11-0 in Seattle's last 11 games as a home underdog.


** Odds, probable starters and weather forecast as of 8:34 p.m. ET Sunday.

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Monday's National League betting cheat sheet

Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on Monday's National League games:

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (-110, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Reds right-hander Mike Leake is 2-4 with a 5.77 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance against St. Louis.

Cold batting stat: Cardinals OF Carlos Beltran is just 2-for-18 in his career versus Leake.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 5 mph.

Key betting note: Cincinnati is 13-3 in its last 16 Monday games.


Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (+114, 7)

Hot pitching stat: Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler has surrendered five runs over his last three starts, a span of 19 innings.

Hot batting stat: New York OF Marlon Byrd is a .357 career hitter in 28 at-bats against Phillies starter Cliff Lee.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 45 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow out to right field at 7 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 13-3 in Lee's last 16 starts against the National League East.


San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies (-158, 10.5)

Hot pitching stat: Giants left-hander Barry Zito has enjoyed plenty of success in his career against the Rockies, going 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 22 starts and two relief appearances.

Cold batting stat: Members of the San Francisco roster are hitting a collective .246 with zero home runs in 61 at-bats against Rockies starter Juan Nicasio.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with a 30 percent chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Wind will be calm.

Key betting note: The over is 7-1 in Nicasio's last eight home starts against a team with a losing record.


San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks (-110, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Arizona right-hander Brandon McCarthy has dropped five straight starts and has been particularly bad in his last two turns, allowing 11 runs over eight innings in that span.

Hot batting stat: Diamondbacks OF A.J. Pollock broke out of a prolonged slump Sunday against Philadelphia, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-90s with a 35 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will be calm.

Key betting note: Arizona has lost seven of its last nine games against division foes.


Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers (-110, 8)

Hot pitching stat: Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke is 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his last five starts.

Hot batting stat: Cubs SS Starlin Castro is 4-for-12 with three walks in his career against Greinke.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s under cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 3 mph.

Key betting note: The Dodgers have won seven straight meetings.


** Odds, probable starters and weather forecast as of 8:39 p.m. ET Sunday.

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White Sox rewarding bettors over past nine games

Don't look now, but the Chicago White Sox are cashing in for backers after a torrid nine-game stretch.

The Pale Hose defeated the Texas Rangers 5-2 Sunday to take two of the three-game series and improve to 8-1 over the past nine ball games.

Any $100 bettor would be up $991 if they had wagered on the South Siders in each of their previous nine ball games.

They were favored just once in those wins. They defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-5 back on August 17 as -125 faves.

White Sox pitching has been sparkling during their eight victories posting an ERA of 2.04 in those wins.

The Sox open a three-game series at home versus the Houston Astros Monday. Chicago is currently a -150 fave in Monday's opener.

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MLB

Hot pitchers
-- Wheeler is 2-0, 2.37 in his last three starts.
-- Nicasio is 1-0, 3.78 in his last three starts.
-- Ross is 3-2, 2.23 in his last five starts.
-- Greinke is 4-0, 0.94 in his last four starts. Arrieta is 1-0, 3.71 in three starts for the Cubs.

-- Sanchez is 4-1, 1.71 in his last seven starts.
-- Oberholtzer is 3-1, 1.69 in four starts this season. Rienzo is 1-0, 3.86 in five starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Leake is 1-1, 6.65 in his last four starts. Lyons is 0-4, 8.03 in his last five starts, last of which was July 30.
-- Lee is 0-4, 4.85 in his last six starts.
-- Zito is 0-3, 10.07 in his last five starts.
-- McCarthy is 0-4, 6.98 since coming off the DL.

-- Griffin is 0-2, 4.24 in his last four starts.
-- Hughes is 0-5, 6.30 in his last eight starts. Dickey is 0-1, 4.50 in last three.
-- Hellickson is 0-4, 8.06 in his last five starts. Guthrie is 0-3, 6.63 in his last three starts.
-- Saunders is 1-4, 9.50 in his last six starts. Blackley allowed two runs in four IP (66 PT) in his first '13 start.

Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in the first inning. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Leake 5-25 (1 of last 7); Lyons 2-7
-- Lee 10-24; Wheeler 4-12 (0 of last 5)
-- Zito 8-22 (5 of last 10); Nicasio 11-24 (4 of last 5)
-- Ross 4-9; McCarthy 5-15 (1 of last 8)
-- Arrieta 2-8; Greinke 7-21 (3 of last 6)

-- Griffin 3-26; Sanchez 6-22
-- Hughes 8-24 (3 of last 3); Dickey 6-27 (0 of last 7)
-- Oberholtzer 1-4; Rienzo 0-5
-- Blackley 0-1; Saunders 8-26
-- Hellickson 10-26 (3 of last 5); Guthrie 7-26 (1 of last 6)

Totals
-- Three of last four Cardinal games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-3-1 in last fourteen Philadelphia games.
-- Under is 5-0-1 in last six Colorado games.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Arizona games.
-- Under is 6-3-1 in last ten Dodger games.

-- Four of last five Oakland games went over the total.
-- 10 of last 14 Toronto games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last ten White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Seattle home games stayed under.
-- Six of last eight Tampa Bay games stayed under total.

Hot teams
-- Reds won 10 of their last 15 games. St Louis won seven of its last nine.
-- Phillies won six of their last eight games.
-- Giants won three of their last four road games.
-- Padres won three of their last four games.
-- Dodgers are 46-12 in last 58 games, 4-4 in last eight.

-- Detroit won six of its last eight games.
-- Bronx won six of its last eight games.
-- White Sox won eight of their last nine games.
-- Texas won 19 of its last 25 games, but lost last two.
-- Tampa Bay won eight of its last eleven games.

Cold teams
-- Mets lost six of their last eight games.
-- Colorado lost six of its last nine games.
-- Diamondbacks lost five of their last seven games.
-- Cubs lost 15 of their last 22 games.

-- Oakland is 5-7 in its last 12 games.
-- Blue Jays lost 12 of their last 17 games.
-- Astros lost four of their last six games.
-- Mariners lost their last three games, outscored 14-2.
-- Kansas City lost nine of their last twelve games.

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Today's MLB Picks

Cincinnati at St. Louis

The Reds look to build on their 8-3 record in Mike Leake's last 11 road starts. Cincinnati is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Reds favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-110). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, AUGUST 26 Time Posted: 6:00 a.m. EST

Game 951-952: Cincinnati at St. Louis (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Leake) 15.774; St. Louis (Lyons) 14.782 Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 9 Vegas Line: St. Louis (-110); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-110); Over

Game 953-954: Philadelphia at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lee) 15.837; NY Mets (Wheeler) 14.140 Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); 7 Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); Under

Game 955-956: San Francisco at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 14.965; Colorado (Nicasio) 14.408 Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 12 Vegas Line: Colorado (-160); 10 1/2 Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+140); Over

Game 957-958: San Diego at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Ross) 14.019; Arizona (McCarthy) 15.552 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 8 Vegas Line: Arizona (-140); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-140); Under

Game 959-960: Chicago Cubs at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Arrieta) 13.484; LA Dodgers (Greinke) 15.838 Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 2 1/2; 6 Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-260); 7 Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-260); Under

Game 961-962: Oakland at Detroit (7:08 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Griffin) 15.995; Detroit (Sanchez) 15.466 Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 9 Vegas Line: Detroit (-170); 8 Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+150); Over

Game 963-964: NY Yankees at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Hughes) 15.301; Toronto (Dickey) 13.925 Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 10 Vegas Line: Toronto (-110); 9 Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-110); Over

Game 965-966: Houston at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oberholtzer) 14.674; White Sox (Rienzo) 16.476 Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 2; 8 Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-150); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-150); Under

Game 967-968: Texas at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Blackley) 15.877; Seattle (Saunders) 13.167 Dunkel Line: Texas by 2 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: Texas (-135); 8 Dunkel Pick: Texas (-135); Under

Game 969-970: Tampa Bay at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Hellickson) 15.383; Kansas City (Guthrie) 16.342 Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+100); Over

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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 1084-817 (57 + %) over the last 5 1/2 years !

Free winner MON: Texas -145

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Gamblers Data

Free Plays Monday

Astros/White Sox under 8.5

Reds/Cards over 8.5

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Cappers Access

Reds -110
Dodgers(RL) -1.5(-130)

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Baseball Crusher
Seattle Mariners +131 over Texas Rangers
(System Record: 71-7, won last game)
Overall Record: 71-71-2

Soccer Crusher
Quilmes + San Lorenzo UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 446-15, lost last game)
Overall Record: 446-383-59

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Joe Wiz

Free Play Monday Cubs/Dodgers Under 7

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bookiemonsters
137-87 run

13-4-1 run last 18 plays

pod tigers game over 8