Cubs hold on to edge Braves

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08/21/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Gorzelanny turned in seven strong innings and Aramis Ramirez finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, as Chicago escaped with a 5-4 victory over Atlanta in the middle contest of a three-game set from Wrigley Field.

Gorzelanny (7-7) scattered seven hits and one run, fanning nine with two walks to get the win for Chicago, which snapped an eight-game home losing streak. The north siders hadn't won in the Friendly Confines since August 4 against Milwaukee.

Tyler Colvin also drove in two runs for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game losing skid but nearly wasted a 5-0 lead in the effort. Carlos Marmol, who blew a one-run ninth-inning lead in a 5-3 loss on Friday, recovered to post a scoreless final frame for his 22nd save.

Brooks Conrad had a pinch-hit three-run double for the Braves, who had won five of six coming in.

Tommy Hanson (8-9) yielded seven hits and five runs -- four earned -- over five full frames in defeat.

Atlanta's lead shrunk to two games over Philadelphia in the NL East, with the Phillies playing the Nationals on Saturday.

Atlanta climbed within 5-4 in the eighth. Andrew Cashner subbed for Gorzelanny but loaded the bases on two walks and a single. Sean Marshall came on to fan pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera but Conrad launched a bases-clearing pinch-hit double into the ivy in center.

Omar Infante drew a free pass and Jason Heyward was hit on the hand to load the bases before Martin Prado grounded out to short to end the threat.

In the ninth, Marmol issued a leadoff walk to former Cub Derrek Lee but retired the next three batters to end the contest.

Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as Ramirez and Colvin registered back-to-back RBI singles.

The Cubs tacked on three more in the third. Ramirez singled home Starlin Castro, who walked to start the frame, then Colvin followed with a base hit and Blake DeWitt added a two-out RBI single.

Alex Gonzalez hit a run-scoring double to get the Braves on the board in the sixth.

Game Notes

Gorzelanny hadn't won since July 24, going 0-2 with two no-decisions since then...The Braves have won three of the five games in the season series...It was Chicago's first home win over Atlanta since July 6, 2009...Hanson hasn't won since July 3 at Florida, going 0-4 with five no-decisions in that span. It was also the first time since July 16 he failed to last longer than five innings in a start.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

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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.