Rangers hope to lasso win over Jays up north

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers are doing their best to give away the lead in the American League West. Luckily for them, though, nobody else seems to want it. Tonight, the Rangers try to snap a five-game losing streak when they continue a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Texas' struggles continued on Tuesday, as Vernon Wells went 3-for-3 with a pair of solo homers and Adam Lind clubbed a two-run shot, helping Toronto to an 8-5 win. John Buck added a solo homer, while Jose Bautista chipped in a two-run double for Toronto, which has won three straight after dropping five of its previous six.

"I think we still have a lot to prove," said Wells, who has hit eight of his 27 home runs this season against the Rangers. "We need to get better as a team and as an organization."

Shaun Marcum (12-7) threw seven solid innings, yielding three runs on six hits with a pair of walks and striking out eight in taking the win. Kevin Gregg retired the final two batters in the ninth to record his 31st save.

Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer and Andres Blanco went 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Rangers, who have lost eight of their last 10, but still lead the division by seven games ahead of second-place Oakland. The Athletics lost at home to Seattle on Tuesday.

Scott Feldman (6-10), replacing left-hander Cliff Lee, who was scratched with a back ailment, allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk over 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander fanned four.

"They're playing really good right now and making us pay for our mistakes," Feldman said of the Blue Jays.

The Rangers have now lost seven straight to the Blue Jays and are a miserable 14-25 against the AL East this season, going just 5-12 against fourth-place Toronto and fifth-place Baltimore.

Hoping to reverse that trend tonight will be left-hander Derek Holland, who has lost his last three decisions. Holland was charged with the loss in Minnesota on Friday, as he surrendered four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to fall to 2-3 on the year, while raising his ERA to 4.93.

Holland is 0-1 in two games (one start) against the Jays with a 16.88 ERA. In his only other start against Toronto last August Holland was roughed up for a career-high 10 runs in three innings.

Toronto, meanwhile, will counter with a left-hander of its own in Marc Rzepczynski, who will be throwing on three days' rest for the first time in his career. Rzepczynski did not get a decision on Saturday against the New York Yankees and did not pitch well, as he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in four innings of his team's 7-5 loss.

"I feel good, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there," said Rzepczynski, who is 1-3 on the year with a 6.62 ERA. "For me, it's changing the routine, backing off some stuff, backing off the lifting a little bit. And my bullpen, I just threw less than normal.

Rzepczynski lost his only other start to the Rangers last September.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.