Cardinals get Westbrook from Tribe, send Ludwick to San Diego

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians in a three-team trade that also involves the San Diego Padres.

Along with Westbrook, St. Louis acquired cash from the Indians and minor league pitcher Nick Greenwood from San Diego. The Padres got outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals, while the Indians received minor league pitcher Corey Kluber from the Padres.

Westbrook, who was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Toronto in order for the trade to be completed, will fill out the Cardinals' rotation. He is 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts this season, his 10th in the majors and first full year since 2007.

The 32-year-old right-hander made just five starts in 2008 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, then missed all of 2009 while recovering.

Westbrook broke into the majors in 2000 with the Yankees before being traded to Cleveland, and he had been with the Indians since. In 221 career games, 181 starts, the right-hander is 69-71 with a 4.34 ERA, and was an All-Star selection in 2004.

"We've been looking for a quality starting pitcher to add to our rotation for some time," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. "Westbrook is someone we've had our eyes on for a good period of time. We also want to wish Ryan Ludwick all the best with the Padres. He did an outstanding job for us over the past 3 1/2 seasons."

Ludwick, 32, made brief major league appearances with Texas and Cleveland from 2002-05, and spent the entire 2006 season at Triple-A. But after signing with the Cardinals, he got back to the majors in 2007 and played his way into a starting role. He was named an All-Star in 2008, when he hit .299 with 37 home runs and 113 runs batted in.

In 77 games this year, Ludwick is batting .281 with a .343 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 43 RBI.

Greenwood, 22, was a 14th-round selection by the Padres in 2009. The left- hander was 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA at Single-A Fort Wayne this season, and will be assigned to Single-A Quad Cities.

Kluber, 24, went 6-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) this year at Double-A San Antonio. San Diego selected the right-hander in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.

Wwwiisportsbook Baseball Betting News

<< Yankees and Astros finalize deal for Berkman
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees and Houston Astros have finalized a trade for first baseman Lance Berkman. Berkman and cash considerations will head to the Yankees in exchange for pitcher Mark Melancon and minor le

<< Diamondbacks and Pirates make trade
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Ryan Church, infielder Bobby Crosby and pitcher D.J. Carrasco from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder, infielder Pedro Ciriaco

<< Russians prevail in Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at the Istanbul Cup. The third-seeded Pavlyuchenkova earned a 7-6 (7-1), 2-6, 7-5

<< Tseng maintains lead at Women's British Open
South Port, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yani Tseng eagled the final hole Saturday en route to her third straight four-under 68 and a four-shot lead after the third round of the Women's British Open. Tseng finished 54 holes at 12-un

<< Indians scratch Westbrook
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have scratched pitcher Jake Westbrook from Saturday's scheduled start against Toronto. The MLB Network said Westbrook is on the verge of being traded and reports it could be a three-way de

Sharks re-sign Setoguchi >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks have re-signed restricted free agent forward Devin Setoguchi to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. Setoguchi, 23, posted 20 goals and 16 assists i

Redskins' Haynesworth has swollen knee, sits out again >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth did not practice for a third straight day, though this time because of a swollen knee. Haynesworth was held out of practice Thursday and Friday

Cubs ship Lilly and Theriot to Dodgers >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have traded pitcher Ted Lilly and infielder Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for infielder Blake DeWitt and a pair of minor league pitching prospects. Chicago also

Former UNM asst. coach sues current coach, regents >>
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -A former assistant football coach at the University of New Mexico has filed a civil rights lawsuit stemming from an altercation involving coach Mike Locksley.J.B. Gerald filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Albu

Prado has fractured pinky >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado has a broken right pinky finger and could miss only a week. Prado was hurt during Friday's win against Cincinnati while sliding head-first into home plate on Jaso

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.