Buehrle, Pierzynski carry White Sox over Royals

Baseball Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Buehrle spun seven scoreless frames and A.J. Pierzynski hit two home runs and drove in a season-high four runs to power the White Sox to an 8-2 victory over Kansas City in the opener of a three-game set.

Buehrle (8-7) allowed six hits, while walking three and striking out a pair to lead Chicago to its sixth consecutive win.

Andruw Jones had three hits and drove in two runs and Paul Konerko had a pair of hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the White Sox, who have won 12 of their last 13 home games.

Bruce Chen (5-3) suffered the loss after yielding three runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings, while walking one and fanning one for the Royals, who were denied their first four-game win streak of the season.

Konerko and Carlos Quentin opened the second inning with singles, advanced on a Pierzynski sacrifice bunt and scored on a single off the base of the left field wall by Jones, who had driven in only one run since June 11.

Pierzynski went from small ball to long ball with a one-out solo home run in the fourth that made it 3-0 and knocked Chen out of the game.

Meanwhile, the Royals put a runner at second base in four of the first five innings and had multiple base runners in the first, fourth and fifth innings but could not score against the ChiSox southpaw.

Chicago added another run in the fifth against Kanekoa Texeira when Gordon Beckham doubled, moved to third on a Juan Pierre bunt base hit and scored when Alexei Ramirez bounced into a double play.

Alex Rios worked a two-out walk in the eighth off Victor Marte, stole second and scored when Konerko doubled to the gap in right-center. Quentin drew a walk, and was replaced by a pinch-runner, before Pierzynski followed with his second clout of the night to right field to finish the scoring for the home side.

Sergio Santos threw a scoreless eighth for the Sox and turned things over in the ninth to Jeff Marquez, who was making his major league debut. The right- hander retired the first batter he faced before Mitch Maier singled and scored on a Yuniesky Betancourt home run that spoiled the shutout bid. Marquez then retired the next two hitters to end the game.

Game Notes

Royals' outfielder Jose Guillen missed his second straight game due to a left quadriceps strain suffered in Tuesday's game in Seattle...Quentin returned after missing the last three games because of a knee injury...Jones had his first multi-RBI game since May 5...Buehrle beat the Royals for the first time in three meetings this year and for a 21st time in his career...The season series is even at five games apiece...The White Sox are 23-5 since June 9. Bryan Bulaga, the 23rd overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.