Rangers seeking to stretch lead over Angels in AL West

Baseball Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Runs were hard to come by for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Thursday's opener of a four-game series versus the hosting Texas Rangers. They'll need a quick fix tonight, given Joe Saunders' career-long struggles against Texas.

The Angels, who are expected to debut new infielder Alberto Callaspo, will try to avoid falling further behind first-place Texas this evening in Arlington.

Last night's opener was no easy task for the Angels, who had to face new Rangers ace Cliff Lee, making his third start for Texas since being acquired from Seattle. Lee picked up his first victory since the trade after holding the Angels to pair of runs on five hits over 8 1/3 innings of a 3-2 Texas win. Neftali Feliz recorded the final two outs for his 26th save.

"Any time you get that deep into the game and give the team a chance, you have to feel good about it," said Lee.

Texas went ahead for good with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, getting an RBI double from Josh Hamilton, who later scored on Bengie Molina's sacrifice fly. Michael Young also homered in the win for the Rangers, who have won four of five and six of eight to push their advantage over the second-place Angels to six games in the American League West.

Angels starter Jered Weaver was solid in the loss, getting charged with three runs over six innings. Mike Napoli homered in defeat for Los Angeles, which has lost two straight and three of four.

"That's what it's all about. Going up against the best," said Weaver. "Tip your cap."

The Angels made a deal before last night's game, shipping pitchers Sean O'Sullivan and Will Smith to the Royals for Callaspo. The 27-year-old infielder is expected to join the club today and should see the majority of his playing time at third base after hitting .275 with eight homers and 43 RBI this year with Kansas City.

Callaspo will try to lend his new teammate some support as Saunders looks for his first victory in four starts. Saunders is 0-1 over his last three outings and is coming off a no-decision versus the Mariners on Saturday. The left- hander gave up five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings of work and is 6-9 with a 4.83 ERA this season.

Saunders has yet to face the Rangers this year, but went 0-3 with a 16.88 ERA in three starts versus them last year, yielding 20 runs over 10 2/3 innings. Lifetime against Texas, the 29-year-old is 3-6 with a 7.19 ERA.

Rangers' starter C.J. Wilson seeks a second straight winning start after besting Boston on Sunday with 6 2/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball while also striking out 10 in the outing. The 29-year-old southpaw improved to 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA this year and is 6-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts at home.

Wilson, who has allowed more than two earned runs just once in his last eight starts, is 0-1 in two starts versus the Angels this year and 1-3 with five saves and a 5.27 ERA in 30 lifetime outings against Anaheim, three of those starts.

Texas owns a 4-2 edge thus far in this year's season series and swept a two- game set from the Angels in Arlington back in May. Anaheim has lost in nine of 12 visits to Rangers Ballpark since the start of last season.

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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com