Buchholz headed to the DL with hamstring strain

Baseball Betting Lines

07/05/2010 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz is headed to the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left hamstring.

The move is retroactive to June 27, the day after he suffered the injury while running the bases in a game against San Francisco.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona had said prior to Sunday's game against Baltimore that Buchholz wouldn't start again until after the All-Star break. Buchholz will be eligible to return July 12, the first day of the All-Star break. Boston's first game after the hiatus is July 15 against Texas.

The 25-year-old right-hander was selected to the American League All-Star team on Sunday, but won't be eligible to participate if he is on the DL.

Buchholz has a record of 10-4 with a 2.47 earned run average in 15 starts this season.

Wwebmillion Baseball Betting News

<< Hamburg snaps up goalkeeper Drobny
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg have completed the signing of goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny after his contract with Hertha Berlin expired. The Czech Republic international joins the Nordbank Arena-based outfit on a three-yea

<< Almeria clinches Jakobsen signing
Almeria, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Almeria have completed the signing of Aalborg defender Michael Jakobsen on a long-term deal. Jakobsen, a Denmark international, missed out on a call-up to this summer's World Cup, but is ready to

<< Blue Jackets name Boughner assistant coach
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets named Bob Boughner an assistant coach on Monday. Boughner had spent the previous four seasons as president and head coach of Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League where he compi

<< Buffon set to miss start of Serie A season
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is expected to be in the treatment room for around three months after undergoing surgery on his back injury. He suffered a herniated disc when playing

<< Perch seals switch to Newcastle
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle have sealed the signing of Nottingham Forest defender James Perch for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract. The 24-year-old has spent the whole of his career to date at The City Gr

Motta moves to Juve from Udinese >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese star Marco Motta has teamed up with Serie A giants Juventus after a deal was struck between the two clubs. The 24-year-old joins Juve initially on a one-year loan deal while the Old Lady have t

Harvick's season resurgence continues with Daytona win >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What a difference a year has made for Kevin Harvick. One year ago, Harvick was far from making the championship Chase, as he sat 26th in points. Now, he's atop the standings with two wins so far t

Nicu joins Freiburg >>
Freiburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bundesliga side Freiburg have completed the signing of Hertha Berlin midfielder Maximilian Nicu ahead of the new season. The Romania international has signed a two-year contract and joins fel

Martino finished as Paraguay manager >>
Asuncion, Paraguay (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerardo Martino said on Monday that he is leaving his post as manager of Paraguay after his team lost 1-0 to Spain in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Martino announced that his

Saborio earns another MLS Player of the Week award >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake forward Alvaro Saborio was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 14 of the 2010 MLS season on Monday. Saborio tallied two goals in Salt Lake's 5-0 win over the

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.