Both the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals have motivational factors working in their favor for Sunday’s NFL Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. But only the Bengals who are 3 point favorites according to the current NFL betting odds will have their edge playing for them on the football field in the form of former Dallas WR Terrell Owens and CB Adam “Pacman” Jones. Of course Owens and Jones may not play long in the preseason opener, but you can bet they will be extra pumped to prove themselves in front of their former team.
Continue reading “NFL Hall of Fame Game Picks Preview: Bengals Vs Cowboys”
Cincinnati has turned the tide against the Cubs this season, blanking them 3-0 at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. The Reds are now 8-3 against them this season, after tallying a disappointing 5-10 mark in 2009. At 62-48, the club is a season-high 14 games over .500 after winning five of their past six games, including a 4-1 mark on this road trip. The team must remain focused over the next two games and not look ahead to a three-game series against the Cardinals starting Monday. “I can’t put too much importance on St. Louis because they’re not here yet,” manager Dusty Baker said. “You have to win games now before we get there.” The pitching staff has posted a 3.01 ERA since June 17, which is the second-best mark in the majors over that span, behind only the White Sox (2.87). Cincinnati is 20-18 in day games this season (-50) and the total is 11-22 O/U in those contests. The Reds are also 3-4 this season (-170) and 11-14 the last three years after shutting out an opponent (-140).
Washington took two of three games against the Dodgers in a three-game series in the nation’s capital back in April 23-25, limiting them to five runs over that span. The Nationals suffered a 8-4 defeat to the Diamondbacks last night, as they commited three fielding errors that led to four runs. “Obviously, we played sloppy,” said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. “We need to clean that up.” With 109 games in the books, the team’s 48 wins to date easily surpasses the 36 victories they earned at this point last season. Washington has struggled on the road as of late, posting a 10-31 mark outside of the DC area since May 13. The Nationals are 20-38 overall on the road (-790) and the total is 25-29 O/U in those games. Don’t forget to bet this team during August, going 31-33 over the last three years for a surprisingly healthy profit (+1,140).
San Francisco entered this four-game series winning 21 of their last 27 games since July 4, but fell 3-2 in defeat in the opener at Turner Field. The Giants have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time since July 1-2. “We’ve won these kind of games. Look at the Dodgers series,” manager Bruce Bochy said after the game. The club has a good chance of bouncing back over the weekend, given its 6-0-2 series record in their last eight sets. San Francisco is 37-33 this season against teams with a record above .500, while going 25-14 versus losing teams. The Giants are 29-28 on the road this season (+120) and the total is 31-25 O/U in those contests. The team is 46-35 when facing right-handed starters in 2010 (+780) and a solid 166-147 in this situation over the last three seasons (+2,580). San Francisco hasn’t dropped three in a row since a season-high, seven-game skid from June 26-July 2.
Boston picked up a 6-2 victory in the final game of a four-game series against the Cleveland Indians and now will head off for a 10-day, 10-game road trip to New York, Toronto and Texas. We’re probably going on as it looks right now the most important road trip of the season, most important 10 games of the season,” said second baseman Bill Hall. The Red Sox are in third place in the AL East division and sit 5.5 games back of tonight’s opponent. In losing first baseman Kevin Youkilis for the year, the club will be leaning on All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre more than ever. He is hitting .336 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs. The Red Sox are 20-21 against the division this year (-570) and 106-86 versus the AL East over the last three years (+230). Boston brings a 3-1 record into this contest as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (+320).
