Division leaders square off in Anaheim

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Byrd tries to win his fifth straight start this evening when the red-hot Cleveland Indians begin a four-game series with the LA Angels of Anaheim in a battle of division leaders at Angel Stadium.

Byrd is coming off a brilliant effort against the Chicago White Sox in his last start on Saturday, as he tossed a four-hit shutout to run his record to 14-5 on the year, while lowering his earned run average to 4.19.

The 36-year-old righty has had a great deal of success against the Angels over the course of his career, going 3-0 with a 3.89 ERA against them in six starts.

Cleveland comes into this series with a seven-game lead over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. The Indians maintained their edge on Wednesday, as Fausto Carmona pitched into the eighth inning to help the Tribe complete a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 6-2 win at the Metrodome.

Carmona (15-8) went 7 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts for the Indians, who have won 13 of their last 15 games.

The Angels, meanwhile, also hold a comfortable division lead, as they sit 7 1/2 games in front of the fading Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Los Angeles, though, dropped a 6-2 decision on Wednesday and was denied a sweep in its three-game series with the Oakland Athletics.

Garret Anderson and Maicer Izturis each drove in a run while Joe Saunders (7-3) got the loss as he gave up four runs on seven hits in six-plus innings of work for the Angels, who lost for only the third time in their last 10 games.

Getting the call for the Angels tonight will be righty Kelvim Escobar, who is 15-7 with a 2.99 ERA. Escobar lost for the first time in five starts on Saturday against the Texas Rangers, as he was pounded for five runs and six hits in just 2 2/3 innings.

Escobar defeated the Tribe the last time he faced them and is 6-3 lifetime against them with three saves and a 3.31 ERA in 17 games, nine of which have been starts.

The Angels have split their six matchups with the Indians this season and are 13-10 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign.

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LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

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