Pettitte's health the key to the Yankees repeating

Baseball Betting Lines

08/30/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the New York Yankees hope to win a second straight world championship they'll need a healthy and productive Andy Pettitte on the mound come October. Before the 38-year old lefty went down with a strained groin July 18, he was clearly the defending champs' second-best starter with an 11-2 record and 2.88 ERA.

The Yankees got some encouraging news regarding Pettitte on Sunday. He threw a 35-pitch bullpen session prior to New York's game with the White Sox, and said it's the best he's felt on the mound since the injury.

"I feel good," Pettitte said. "My arm bounced back big-time today. If I was going to grade it (on a 1 to 10 scale), I'd say my arm felt like a 9 today."

With A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17 ERA) and Javier Vazquez (9-9, 4.96 ERA) fading into oblivion, Pettitte's importance to the Yankees repeating as world champs has become that much greater. His presence alone in the rotation is vital, and the fact that's he's left-handed is doubly valuable against some the Yankee's potential opponents in the American League playoffs.

The Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton, one of the leading candidates for the American League MVP award, has actually been a very ordinary hitter against left-handed pitching this season. He leads the AL with a .359 batting average and is second in slugging percentage at .639, but is hitting only .258 with a .429 SLG versus lefties.

Two of the biggest hitters in the Minnesota Twins lineup have also put up bad numbers against southpaws this season. Joe Mauer is hitting .244, while Jason Kubel, second on the team in RBI with 81, is batting just .210. Kubel, as a matter of fact, usually has a seat on the bench when the Twins face Pettitte.

The Tampa Bay Rays' second-best hitter, Carl Crawford, is much less effective against lefties too, putting up a .241 BA and .373 SLG, compared to his overall numbers of a .294 BA and .468 SLG. Carlos Pena, the club's home run leader and number two RBI man is hitting just .210 versus left handers since joining the team in 2007. And when a southpaw is on the mound, Matt Joyce is usually out of the lineup. The left-handed hitting Joyce has given the Rays a really nice offensive boost since being called up from the minors on June 25, with 31 RBI in 52 games. But he would likely sit against a tough lefthander like Pettitte, since he rarely plays against lefties now with just 16 AB this season.

QUICK HITS

-As much as I've written about the San Diego Padres' young pitching star Mat Latos, I feel like I should nominate myself as president of his fan club. Latos continued his amazing run last Friday, going toe-to-toe with the Phillies' Roy Oswalt. Latos finished with a no-decision, giving up just one run and five hits in seven innings. That marked the 19th time in his last 20 starts he's allowed a remarkable two earned runs or fewer. Since May 1, you can make a very strong case he's been the best pitcher in baseball. The numbers speak for themselves: 12 wins, 2 losses, 1.63 ERA. I think Latos has to be in the discussion at this point for the NL Cy Young award.

The Arizona Diamondbacks look like they got themselves a good, young pitcher in Daniel Hudson, whom they acquired from the White Sox in late July for Edwin Jackson. He's been very impressive in his first six starts since the trade, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA. He also has an eye-opening 42 strikeouts and mere eight walks in 43 2/3 innings. According to teammate Adam LaRoche, Hudson has also caught the eye of National League hitters. The Arizona first baseman has heard plenty of praise for the 23-year old righty on the rare occasion an opposing batter reaches base. "They talk about how nasty he is," LaRoche told the Diamondback's official website, "and how uncomfortable the at-bat is."

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NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.

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