MLB Betting – Playoff Hopefuls Clash In Philadelphia on Thursday

NFL betting players know all about the stress of a playoff race, and a pair of teams who had high expectations coming into the 2010 campaign but are in danger of missing the postseason will wrap up a three-game set in Philadelphia on Thursday as the Phillies host the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers Phillies Betting – Thursday, August 12, 7:05 PM ET

College football betting players love to watch guys come along, and Clayton Kershaw (10-7, 3.19) is going to be a brilliant player to watch as his career progresses. But Kershaw ran into some problems in a 6-3 loss at home to Washington, allowing six runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out nine and walking two. Kershaw is now fifth in the National League in both strikeouts and walks, and once he learns how to harness his stuff, he could end up being a Cy Young candidate. The 22-year-old hasn’t fared that well against the Phillies in his career, going 0-3 in four starts with a 6.64 ERA, and he’s 0-2 at Citizens Bank Park with a 10.00 ERA.

Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.65) will be on the mound for the Phillies, and he was unfortunate to earn his sixth no-decision in his last 10 starts in a 7-5 win over the Mets, scattering a pair of runs on seven hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Blanton has now given up three runs or less in seven of his last 10 starts, and he knows he’s going to have to pitch better to be a part of the Phillies’ postseason rotation, providing they make it that far. Blanton has faced the Dodgers four times in his career, posting a 1-0 mark with an ERA of 2.88.

MLB betting odds should have the Phillies as a favorite at home, even though the Dodgers took the first game of this series in a 15-9 shootout on Tuesday night. Kershaw is 4-4 in 10 starts on the road, posting a 3.02 ERA, while Blanton is 3-2 in nine starts at home with a 4.76 ERA. It’s very tempting to pick Kershaw and the Dodgers, but the kid is coming off a tough outing, and he seems to be the next version of the Yankees’ A.J. Burnett: great stuff when he can keep it under control, but when he doesn’t, it tends to get ugly, and quickly. Meanwhile, the veteran Blanton has been more consistent and as we said earlier, he’s been unlucky to take some no-decisions in some of his past efforts as he’s actually pitched well over the last couple of months. We’re going with the consistency of the Phillies here.

Gambling Advisor pick: Philadelphia

NFL Betting – Saints, Patriots Kick Season Off In New England

If you’re looking at Super Bowl betting odds for the upcoming season, you’re likely to find New Orleans and New England near the top of the list of favorites. The two will get together in New England on Thursday night in preseason action.

Saints Patriots Betting – Thursday, August 12, 7:30 PM ET

The Saints rolled to the Super Bowl on the strength of Drew Brees and the best offense in the league, although we won’t see many of the main targets for very long in this game. Pat Ramsey, Chase Daniel and Sean Canfield will handle most of the quarterback duties for the Saints in this game, but their big questions to answer before they begin their quest to repeat in the Super Bowl come on defense. If it wasn’t for their 39 takeaways, the Saints’ defense would have been a mess. The secondary is pretty deep, but they can’t afford to give up big plays through the air like they did last year.

The Patriots will also only play the likes of Tom Brady, Randy Moss and company for a series or two, but the big news coming out of New England is that Wes Welker should be able to start the season after recovering from a knee injury. The offense sputtered in the playoffs when Welker went down, and Brady will be happier than anyone to have him back. But in this game, you should get to see Brian Hoyer and rookie Zac Robinson battle for the right to be Brady’s backup, and the Patriots have no shortage of running backs. College football betting players will recognize tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez from the NCAA, and along with Alge Crumpler, the Patriots are stocked at that position.

NFL betting odds have the Patriots as a 1-point favorite at home, and the Saints have dropped their last two regular-season trips to New England. There may be a measure of revenge in this for the Patriots, who were whipped 38-17 in New Orleans on Monday Night Football last season, and no one really took the Saints seriously as a Super Bowl contender until that game. The Patriots don’t want anyone to make a name off of beating them, so the veterans are going to be in the ear of players still trying to fight for a spot on the team. The Patriots have a bit more depth on both sides of the ball, and we also think the Patriots will be able to move the ball better than New Orleans because they have better backup quarterbacks, a load of running backs and a few receivers.

NFL betting pick: New England -1