Pettitte's health the key to the Yankees repeating

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08/30/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the New York Yankees hope to win a second straight world championship they'll need a healthy and productive Andy Pettitte on the mound come October. Before the 38-year old lefty went down with a strained groin July 18, he was clearly the defending champs' second-best starter with an 11-2 record and 2.88 ERA.

The Yankees got some encouraging news regarding Pettitte on Sunday. He threw a 35-pitch bullpen session prior to New York's game with the White Sox, and said it's the best he's felt on the mound since the injury.

"I feel good," Pettitte said. "My arm bounced back big-time today. If I was going to grade it (on a 1 to 10 scale), I'd say my arm felt like a 9 today."

With A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17 ERA) and Javier Vazquez (9-9, 4.96 ERA) fading into oblivion, Pettitte's importance to the Yankees repeating as world champs has become that much greater. His presence alone in the rotation is vital, and the fact that's he's left-handed is doubly valuable against some the Yankee's potential opponents in the American League playoffs.

The Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton, one of the leading candidates for the American League MVP award, has actually been a very ordinary hitter against left-handed pitching this season. He leads the AL with a .359 batting average and is second in slugging percentage at .639, but is hitting only .258 with a .429 SLG versus lefties.

Two of the biggest hitters in the Minnesota Twins lineup have also put up bad numbers against southpaws this season. Joe Mauer is hitting .244, while Jason Kubel, second on the team in RBI with 81, is batting just .210. Kubel, as a matter of fact, usually has a seat on the bench when the Twins face Pettitte.

The Tampa Bay Rays' second-best hitter, Carl Crawford, is much less effective against lefties too, putting up a .241 BA and .373 SLG, compared to his overall numbers of a .294 BA and .468 SLG. Carlos Pena, the club's home run leader and number two RBI man is hitting just .210 versus left handers since joining the team in 2007. And when a southpaw is on the mound, Matt Joyce is usually out of the lineup. The left-handed hitting Joyce has given the Rays a really nice offensive boost since being called up from the minors on June 25, with 31 RBI in 52 games. But he would likely sit against a tough lefthander like Pettitte, since he rarely plays against lefties now with just 16 AB this season.

QUICK HITS

-As much as I've written about the San Diego Padres' young pitching star Mat Latos, I feel like I should nominate myself as president of his fan club. Latos continued his amazing run last Friday, going toe-to-toe with the Phillies' Roy Oswalt. Latos finished with a no-decision, giving up just one run and five hits in seven innings. That marked the 19th time in his last 20 starts he's allowed a remarkable two earned runs or fewer. Since May 1, you can make a very strong case he's been the best pitcher in baseball. The numbers speak for themselves: 12 wins, 2 losses, 1.63 ERA. I think Latos has to be in the discussion at this point for the NL Cy Young award.

The Arizona Diamondbacks look like they got themselves a good, young pitcher in Daniel Hudson, whom they acquired from the White Sox in late July for Edwin Jackson. He's been very impressive in his first six starts since the trade, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA. He also has an eye-opening 42 strikeouts and mere eight walks in 43 2/3 innings. According to teammate Adam LaRoche, Hudson has also caught the eye of National League hitters. The Arizona first baseman has heard plenty of praise for the 23-year old righty on the rare occasion an opposing batter reaches base. "They talk about how nasty he is," LaRoche told the Diamondback's official website, "and how uncomfortable the at-bat is."

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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