Bettors Best Friend
Lines off the board
Reds at Cubs: Total is off pending wind direction and speed.
Lines to keep an eye on
Suns at Sky (WNBA): Sky opened as a 2-point favorite but that line has been cut in half. The total has jumped from 154 to 155.
Silver Stars at Sparks (WNBA): Sparks opened as a 3-point favorite but that number has slipped to 2.5. The total has fallen from 155.5 to 154.
Mystics at Mercury (WNBA): Mercury opened as a 4-point favorite but have been bet down to 3.5. The total has climbed from 177.5 to 179.
Ly*x at Dream (WNBA): Dream opened as an 8.5-point pick but that number is up to 9. The total has slipped from 175 to 173.
Who's hot
Rangers have won 16 of their last 19.
Angels have won eight of their last 11.
Brewers have won seven of their last nine.
Athletics have won four in a row.
Who's not
Rays have lost nine of their last 12.
Pirates have lost seven of their last eight.
Blue Jays have lost seven of their last nine
Giants have lost six of their last seven.
Key stat
105 - Points margin Sprint Cup leader Kevin Harvick holds over four-time defending series champion and current runner-up Jimmie Johnson midway through the season despite the fact that Harvick has only one victory and Johnson has five.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Mets shortstop Jose Reyes was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against Florida after injuring his lower back during batting practice. Reyes will be evaluated Thursday after what had to be an uncomfortable flight from Puerto Rico to Washington to face the Nationals. The Mets will likely lose Reyes for at least the first game of the four-game series. He is batting .277 with six homers and 32 RBIs this season.
Game of the day
Rangers at Angels (-125, 8)
Notable quotable
"I don't think (the Big 12) conference will last long because there is too much disparity between all the teams. In the SEC, for instance, Vanderbilt makes as much money in the television contract as Florida. ... That doesn't happen here in the Big 12. We have some teams that get a little bit more money and have a little bit more stroke than some of the other teams. And when that happens, you're gonna have teams looking for better avenues to leave."
First-year Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville in reference to the deal the Big 12 cut with Texas and other members to give them a larger share of TV revenues than other schools to keep them from leaving to the Big Ten and Pac-10.
Tips and notes
The White Sox were on a roll before closer Bobby Jenks was placed on the family medical emergency list Sunday and was expected to miss three to seven days. The Chi-Sox lost a couple of close ones without their regular closer, but he will be back for the weekend series against the Rangers. In 31 appearances this season, Jenks is 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA and 17 saves.
Brazil will be without Elano for its World Cup showdown against the Netherlands on Friday. Elano scored in Brazil's first two matches but suffered a bone bruise in his right ankle in the second match against Ivory Coast. He has missed matches against Portugal and Chile and cut short a practice session Tuesday, making him unlikely to return against the Dutch.
Many NASCAR fans are conspiracy theorists, and for good reason. Heart-warming stories always seem to happen whenever TV ratings start to fall, so watch out for Friday night's Nationwide race when Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets behind the wheel of his famous father's No. 3 as a tribute to the Intimidator. Remember when he won at Daytona shortly after his dad's tragic accident at the track? Junior has been struggling and a win would be just what he (and NASCAR) needs to get back on track.
Lines off the board
Reds at Cubs: Total is off pending wind direction and speed.
Lines to keep an eye on
Suns at Sky (WNBA): Sky opened as a 2-point favorite but that line has been cut in half. The total has jumped from 154 to 155.
Silver Stars at Sparks (WNBA): Sparks opened as a 3-point favorite but that number has slipped to 2.5. The total has fallen from 155.5 to 154.
Mystics at Mercury (WNBA): Mercury opened as a 4-point favorite but have been bet down to 3.5. The total has climbed from 177.5 to 179.
Ly*x at Dream (WNBA): Dream opened as an 8.5-point pick but that number is up to 9. The total has slipped from 175 to 173.
Who's hot
Rangers have won 16 of their last 19.
Angels have won eight of their last 11.
Brewers have won seven of their last nine.
Athletics have won four in a row.
Who's not
Rays have lost nine of their last 12.
Pirates have lost seven of their last eight.
Blue Jays have lost seven of their last nine
Giants have lost six of their last seven.
Key stat
105 - Points margin Sprint Cup leader Kevin Harvick holds over four-time defending series champion and current runner-up Jimmie Johnson midway through the season despite the fact that Harvick has only one victory and Johnson has five.
Injury that shouldn't be overlooked
Mets shortstop Jose Reyes was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against Florida after injuring his lower back during batting practice. Reyes will be evaluated Thursday after what had to be an uncomfortable flight from Puerto Rico to Washington to face the Nationals. The Mets will likely lose Reyes for at least the first game of the four-game series. He is batting .277 with six homers and 32 RBIs this season.
Game of the day
Rangers at Angels (-125, 8)
Notable quotable
"I don't think (the Big 12) conference will last long because there is too much disparity between all the teams. In the SEC, for instance, Vanderbilt makes as much money in the television contract as Florida. ... That doesn't happen here in the Big 12. We have some teams that get a little bit more money and have a little bit more stroke than some of the other teams. And when that happens, you're gonna have teams looking for better avenues to leave."
First-year Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville in reference to the deal the Big 12 cut with Texas and other members to give them a larger share of TV revenues than other schools to keep them from leaving to the Big Ten and Pac-10.
Tips and notes
The White Sox were on a roll before closer Bobby Jenks was placed on the family medical emergency list Sunday and was expected to miss three to seven days. The Chi-Sox lost a couple of close ones without their regular closer, but he will be back for the weekend series against the Rangers. In 31 appearances this season, Jenks is 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA and 17 saves.
Brazil will be without Elano for its World Cup showdown against the Netherlands on Friday. Elano scored in Brazil's first two matches but suffered a bone bruise in his right ankle in the second match against Ivory Coast. He has missed matches against Portugal and Chile and cut short a practice session Tuesday, making him unlikely to return against the Dutch.
Many NASCAR fans are conspiracy theorists, and for good reason. Heart-warming stories always seem to happen whenever TV ratings start to fall, so watch out for Friday night's Nationwide race when Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets behind the wheel of his famous father's No. 3 as a tribute to the Intimidator. Remember when he won at Daytona shortly after his dad's tragic accident at the track? Junior has been struggling and a win would be just what he (and NASCAR) needs to get back on track.
