Carmona, Indians open road series in the Bronx

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05/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Fausto Carmona stepped on the mound at new Yankee Stadium, the Indians' offense erupted in a record-tying performance. Given how Cleveland's offense struggled in its last game, the club hopes its hurler can serve as a good-luck charm again tonight.

Carmona and the Indians hope to get hot tonight when they embark on a 10-game road trip this evening with the opener of a four-game series versus hosting New York.

Cleveland and New York meet for the first time this season tonight and though the Yankees won five of eight matchups last year, their first series ever at their new ballpark in 2009 featured a contest that Indians fans won't soon forget.

The two clubs went on to split the four-game series, the first ever at new Yankee Stadium, but the Indians left their impression on the fresh building with a 22-4 drubbing in the series' third game. Carmona started and allowed a two-run homer by Mark Teixeira in the first inning, but Cleveland answered with a franchise-record-tying 14-run second inning.

Backed with plenty of support, Carmona picked up his first-ever victory over the Yankees after giving up four runs on six hits over six innings. Lifetime versus New York, the right-hander is 1-2 with a 5.17 earned run average in eight games, five of those starts.

Carmona's 2010 season is off to a solid start, but he is coming off his second loss of the season, a six-inning effort versus the Reds on Saturday in which he allowed five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits and two walks. Though Carmona fell to 4-2 on the season with a 3.45 ERA, he did pitch at least six innings for the eighth time in nine starts this year.

The 26-year-old enters the Bronx for the second time with a 3-0 mark and 2.16 ERA in four road starts this year. He'll also work alongside an offense that struggled for much of Wednesday's 5-4 setback to Chicago, Cleveland's eighth defeat in its last 10 games.

The Indians managed just Jhonny Peralta's run-scoring sac fly in the fourth inning through the game's first eight innings despite White Sox starter Mark Buehrle being ejected in the third inning for arguing a second balk call. Cleveland managed to make things close in the ninth inning off Bobby Jenks thanks to Travis Hafner's pinch-hit bases-loaded walk and former Yankee Shelley Duncan's pinch-hit two-run single with no outs.

However, after a Trevor Crowe sac bunt and an intentional walk to Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases, Austin Kearns struck out swinging and Russell Branyan flied out to end the game.

"We put up a fight at the end but we continue to be inconsistent with our situational hitting early in the game," said Cleveland manager Manny Acta. "That hurts us and then we have to play catch up at the end."

New York's Phil Hughes will try to have Cleveland playing from behind again tonight when he makes the start.

Hughes has begun to cool off since his red-hot start, as he has gone 0-1 over his last two starts with nine runs allowed after beginning the season 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA in six starts. The right-hander yielded five runs in a no-decision against Boston on May 17 before suffering the loss against the Mets on Saturday after allowing four runs on a season-high eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.

"I was off today," said Hughes after the loss to the Mets lifted his season ERA to 2.72. "It seems like the last couple of starts I get a quick two outs and then can't put the inning away."

The 23-year-old is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA lifetime versus the Indians in two starts.

New York has lost six of its last nine, but was in line to record a sweep of its three-game set with Minnesota on Thursday. However, starter Javier Vazquez allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings and 112 pitches and the Yankees lost, 8-2.

"We won two games, I don't want to overlook that. We beat a very good Minnesota team two out of three," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

While Girardi is glad his team won the series, Thursday's loss, which featured two RBI from Robinson Cano, dropped New York 4 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

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