Get on Board with Untested Pitchers

Baseball Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When it comes to wagering on baseball, gamblers usually shy away from the unknown. It's easy to back the likes of Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay, but putting your money on rookies is another story.

However, don't take these inexperienced pitchers lightly. Even though most bettors have never seen them on the mound, it also stands to reason the opposition hasn't either. And that leads to a very important angle - never let a great opportunity to make money pass you by.

Some of these young pitchers have already become key members in their club's rotation while others have been used as spot starters due to injury. Whatever the case may be, their mound success has translated to a lot of green in one's wallet if he/she has been paying attention.

All in all, nine pitchers with fewer than five career starts (and less than four years experience) have combined for an incredible +1,147 units in a little over one month's worth of action. Three of the nine stand out above the rest since they have accounted for 15 of the 24 starts, but don't shy away from the others since they've accumulated a bankroll of over $400.

THE BIG THREE

The first of the five-start hurlers is Jaime Garcia. The Cardinals' fifth starter is 3-1 this season with an amazing 1.13 ERA. More importantly, since he's behind the likes of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in the rotation, he's flown well below the radar even in his last two starts.

Garcia and the Cards were only -113 favorites at Philadelphia earlier in the week, against a pitcher in Joe Blanton who was making his first start of the year. St. Louis roughed up Blanton for 10 hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings en route to the 6-3 road victory.

In his prior outing, Garcia and two relievers shut out the Braves, 6-0 - his second straight amazing performance at Busch Stadium. Earlier in the season, Garcia held the Mets scoreless on just one hit through seven innings.

It's still early in the season but the kid picked in the 22nd round back in 2005 has given up only five hits and zero runs in 14 home frames. Garcia is only +128 units in five starts, but until opposing hitters get the best of him, look for that total to rise in the coming months.

Cincinnati's Mike Leake came into the big leagues off one of the finest college seasons in recent memory. The righthander finished his junior year at Arizona State 16-1 with a 1.71 ERA, becoming the first starter in Pac-10 history to win back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards.

He also damaged opposing hurlers his final two seasons, batting .325 with 15 RBI in 80 at-bats.

Stephen Strasburg received almost all the attention at last year's draft, but Leake has gotten the jump on his counterpart with five starts already on his resume. The 22-year-old has won just two of those outings but the Reds are 4-1 in those games. Furthermore, Leake has yet to lose and his ERA is a healthy 2.94.

Control was an issue early in the year with 12 walks in his first 13 2/3 innings. However, the California native has gained a better command of his pitches of late, going 20 frames with just four bases-on-balls. Leake is also helping himself at the plate, batting .364 with four hits in 11 at-bats.

All that success explains why the eighth player selected in last year's draft is +314 units.

The final starter of the bunch hurls for another team from the Midwest.

Cleveland's Mitch Talbot has not received any of the accolades heaped upon either Garcia or Leake, but has been even more effective when it comes to the gambling side of baseball.

The former Tampa Bay pitcher started slowly in 2010, allowing four runs in a 4-2 loss at Detroit but since then, he's reeled off three wins in four starts with a 2.15 ERA. That success has his backers holding $364 since his initial start on April 10.

SPOT STARTERS COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

There have been nine other starts this season from six pitchers with fewer than five career starts and less than four years experience. What might be a surprising statistic to some is that three of the six hurlers came through with victories, while two others helped their team to "W's" even though each failed to pick up the win.

Luis Atilano leads the bunch with two victories - both times as the underdog. The rookie stepped in when Jason Marquis went down with an elbow injury, and proceeded to win his first two big-league starts at +119 and +192 units.

On May 3, Cesar Valdez did the same in place of Kris Benson, giving up only one run in five innings as the Diamondbacks routed the Astros, 9-1.

One day earlier, Jhoulys Chacin allowed only one hit through seven frames, leading the Rockies past the Giants. Since Chacin squared off against Jonathan Sanchez and his 1.85 ERA, Colorado was +140 units...a nice score as a road underdog.

On May 1, Dodgers reliever Carlos Monasterios got the call in his first-ever start but was denied the victory since he was taken out after just four innings. Los Angeles knocked off the Pirates, 5-1 so even though Monasterios didn't get credit for the win, the bettors who backed Los Angeles were still rewarded with the victory.

This past Thursday night, another Dodgers rookie, John Ely, came close to picking up his first career victory, but Jonathan Broxton blew the save allowing Milwaukee to tie with two runs in the top of the ninth.

The hometown team had one more shot to break the tie and Andre Ethier came through with a walk-off grand slam home run, good for a 7-3 Dodgers win. Ely did not get credit for the "W" but once again, those who wagered on the Dodgers did.

The only starter of the six that failed to bring home the bacon was the Rockies' Esmil Rogers, who lost 6-1 as an underdog to Matt Cain and San Francisco.

Betting on the unknown might be a scary proposition, but it's been well worth it so far in 2010.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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