Rangers-Blue Jays test set to feature young lefties

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two young left-handers will go head-to-head when the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers continue a three-game series tonight at the Rogers Centre.

David Purcey gets the call for the homestanding Jays tonight and will make another attempt at earning his first victory of 2009. The former first-round pick, who turns 27 today, is 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions over his first three starts, but he's pitched to a subpar 6.46 earned run average during those outings.

Walks have been a problem for Purcey in the early going, as he's issued 13 free passes in just 15 1/3 innings of work. He walked four batters in a poor 3 2/3-inning stint against Oakland this past Friday, a game in which the University of Oklahoma product allowed five runs in a no-decision.

Purcey faced the Rangers once as a rookie last season and took the loss in an 8-4 verdict in Arlington on August 3. He served up three home runs in that game and was charged with five runs allowed in five innings.

Matt Harrison gets the call for Texas tonight and is also seeking his first win of the young season. The 23-year-old has suffered the loss in each of his initial two starts of 2009, including a home setback to Kansas City on Friday.

Harrison worked five innings against the Royals but was reached for six runs on eight hits, including a pair of homers, while walking four batters. He doled out five free passes in his season debut at Detroit on April 11, while surrendering four runs over 5 2/3 frames.

A third-round selection by Atlanta in the 2003 draft, Harrison posted a 9-3 record in 15 starts as a rookie for the Rangers last season. He will be opposing Toronto for the first time.

Texas won Tuesday's opener of this set by a 5-4 score, with Ian Kinsler's two- run homer in the top of the seventh inning snapping a 3-3 tie.

Nelson Cruz also had a two-run blast for the Rangers, who were coming off a 6-5 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, while starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (2-0) held the Jays to three runs over six innings to record the win.

Roy Halladay (3-1) was handed his first defeat of 2009 after the Toronto ace permitted all five Texas runs in an eight-inning stint. Halladay did strikeout nine without a walk, however.

Aaron Hill finished 2-for-5 with a solo homer for the AL East-leading Blue Jays, who had won four of five coming in.

Texas split its eight games with the Blue Jays last season, but won both matchups held at the Rogers Centre.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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