Baseball?s non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone, and the usual suspects have loaded up on talent for the playoff drive. The New York Yankees, already pummeling the baseball betting lines for the second straight year, have added Lance Berkman. The surging Philadelphia Phillies are counting on Roy Oswalt to get them back in the postseason. And the St. Louis Cardinals hope Jake Westbrook can make the difference in a tight National League Central race. But have the Boston Red Sox done enough to keep up? Our latest weekly betting preview leads off with the latest installment of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry; all times are Eastern, and Bodog Sports is your source for fresh odds around the clock.
1. MLB: Boston at N.Y. Yankees (Sunday, 8:00 p.m.)
Don?t throw any dirt on the Red Sox just yet. They might be in third place in the AL East at 60-45 (2.16 units), but they?ve closed within 6.5 games of the Yankees (66-38, 7.18 units) for first. New York has just dropped two of three on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays, while Boston took two of three at Fenway from the Detroit Tigers, both wins coming in walk-off fashion. The Yankees are 6-3 versus Boston this year. In their only deadline deal of note, the Red Sox obtained catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas and optioned him to AAA-Pawtucket to let him build strength in his throwing arm.
2. CFL: Saskatchewan at Montreal (Friday, 7:00 p.m.)
We?ve completed five weeks of the 2010 CFL campaign, and last year?s Grey Cup finalists are still at the top of their game. The Roughriders (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are tied with the Calgary Stampeders in what appears to be a two-horse race in the Western Division. The Alouettes (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are alone in first in the East, winners of four straight after dropping the season opener 54-51 to Saskatchewan (+3.5 home dogs) in overtime. Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo (10 TDs, two INTs, 108.0 passer rating) continues to be the class of the league, while Riders QB Darian Durant (eight TDs, five INTs, 94.5 passer rating) has hit a snag in his last three games, dropping the cash twice against the CFL odds.
3. MLS: Columbus at Philadelphia Union (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
This Eastern Conference matchup pits the top-ranked Crew (10 wins, four losses, four draws) against the expansion Union (4-8-3), who will be playing their fourth home game in a row after getting out of the Eastern basement with a valuable win over Toronto FC and a draw against New England. Despite their struggles, the Union are 3-1-2 at the PPL Park in Chester, giving home bettors 0.95 of a unit in profit. All four Columbus draws were on the road, where the Crew are 2-2-4. This is the first meeting this season between these two clubs.
4. WNBA: Washington at Atlanta (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.)
The logjam at the top of the Eastern Conference shows no signs of thinning out. The Atlanta Dream (18-9 SU, 14-13 ATS) took over first place on Sunday with a 90-74 victory over the Indiana Fever (+2 road dogs), while the Washington Mystics (15-10 SU, 14-9-2 ATS) took advantage of the hapless Tulsa Shock (+12.5 road dogs), winning 87-62 with President Obama in attendance. He?ll be able to watch this matchup on ESPN2; the home team is 2-0 SU and ATS in the season series thus far.
5. MMA: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (PPV Begins Saturday, 7:00 p.m.)
Anderson Silva (26-4) hasn?t lost since joining the UFC in 2006, but the pressure is on anyway when he defends his Middleweight title against Chael Sonnen (24-10) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Silva was given the gears by prez Dana White after last April?s performance at UFC 112, where the champion toyed with Demian Maia for five rounds before earning a unanimous decision. White is demanding Silva give the fans a better show on Saturday or be fired. The larger problem here is quality of opposition. Silva is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and he?s a fat ?450 favorite on Saturday against Sonnen (+300), who lost to Maia last year and is replacing the injured Vitor Belfort in this main event.
Honorable Mentions
MLB: Chicago White Sox at Detroit (Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.)
CFL: Toronto at Edmonton (Friday, 10:00 p.m.)
MLS: New York Red Bulls at Chicago (Sunday, 9:00 p.m.)
WNBA: Connecticut at Seattle (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
MMA: Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch (PPV Begins Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
1. MLB: Boston at N.Y. Yankees (Sunday, 8:00 p.m.)
Don?t throw any dirt on the Red Sox just yet. They might be in third place in the AL East at 60-45 (2.16 units), but they?ve closed within 6.5 games of the Yankees (66-38, 7.18 units) for first. New York has just dropped two of three on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays, while Boston took two of three at Fenway from the Detroit Tigers, both wins coming in walk-off fashion. The Yankees are 6-3 versus Boston this year. In their only deadline deal of note, the Red Sox obtained catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas and optioned him to AAA-Pawtucket to let him build strength in his throwing arm.
2. CFL: Saskatchewan at Montreal (Friday, 7:00 p.m.)
We?ve completed five weeks of the 2010 CFL campaign, and last year?s Grey Cup finalists are still at the top of their game. The Roughriders (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are tied with the Calgary Stampeders in what appears to be a two-horse race in the Western Division. The Alouettes (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) are alone in first in the East, winners of four straight after dropping the season opener 54-51 to Saskatchewan (+3.5 home dogs) in overtime. Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo (10 TDs, two INTs, 108.0 passer rating) continues to be the class of the league, while Riders QB Darian Durant (eight TDs, five INTs, 94.5 passer rating) has hit a snag in his last three games, dropping the cash twice against the CFL odds.
3. MLS: Columbus at Philadelphia Union (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
This Eastern Conference matchup pits the top-ranked Crew (10 wins, four losses, four draws) against the expansion Union (4-8-3), who will be playing their fourth home game in a row after getting out of the Eastern basement with a valuable win over Toronto FC and a draw against New England. Despite their struggles, the Union are 3-1-2 at the PPL Park in Chester, giving home bettors 0.95 of a unit in profit. All four Columbus draws were on the road, where the Crew are 2-2-4. This is the first meeting this season between these two clubs.
4. WNBA: Washington at Atlanta (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.)
The logjam at the top of the Eastern Conference shows no signs of thinning out. The Atlanta Dream (18-9 SU, 14-13 ATS) took over first place on Sunday with a 90-74 victory over the Indiana Fever (+2 road dogs), while the Washington Mystics (15-10 SU, 14-9-2 ATS) took advantage of the hapless Tulsa Shock (+12.5 road dogs), winning 87-62 with President Obama in attendance. He?ll be able to watch this matchup on ESPN2; the home team is 2-0 SU and ATS in the season series thus far.
5. MMA: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (PPV Begins Saturday, 7:00 p.m.)
Anderson Silva (26-4) hasn?t lost since joining the UFC in 2006, but the pressure is on anyway when he defends his Middleweight title against Chael Sonnen (24-10) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Silva was given the gears by prez Dana White after last April?s performance at UFC 112, where the champion toyed with Demian Maia for five rounds before earning a unanimous decision. White is demanding Silva give the fans a better show on Saturday or be fired. The larger problem here is quality of opposition. Silva is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and he?s a fat ?450 favorite on Saturday against Sonnen (+300), who lost to Maia last year and is replacing the injured Vitor Belfort in this main event.
Honorable Mentions
MLB: Chicago White Sox at Detroit (Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.)
CFL: Toronto at Edmonton (Friday, 10:00 p.m.)
MLS: New York Red Bulls at Chicago (Sunday, 9:00 p.m.)
WNBA: Connecticut at Seattle (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
MMA: Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch (PPV Begins Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
