Canadian MLB Report: A power outage in the Citi

Baseball Betting Lines

07/01/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second straight season, a New York Mets slugger has fallen victim to a power outage at Citi Field.

In 2009, David Wright swatted just 10 home runs, the lowest output of his career. And now Jason Bay, who has six homers thus far, is in jeopardy of seeing his streak of 20-home run years end at six consecutive.

Bay, who inked a four-year deal with the Mets in the offseason, has traditionally been a key source of power. He's averaged a .279-31-104 stat line over his career, and was acquired by the Mets with the thought they would be adding such numbers to their lineup.

But, the 2004 National League Rookie of the Year is on pace to finish the season with just 13 homers and 76 RBI. His 36 RBI on the season are especially low, given he's driven in at least 50 runs by the All-Star break in each of his past four seasons. The 31-year-old, however, might be slowly heating up, as he's driven in nine runs over his last nine games.

For the season, Bay has a .275 average and .366 on-base percentage to go along with 10 steals, respectable numbers that have helped salvage what has been an otherwise disappointing season to this point. The Trail, British Columbia native has not been caught stealing on the year and looks to be chasing the career-high mark of 21 he set in 2005, though stolen bases had little to do with why the Mets brought him to Queens.

What's most disconcerting is Bay's .237-1-26 line with runners in scoring position. If Bay can start capitalizing in the clutch, he could be in for a big second half. The expected return of teammate Carlos Beltran around the All- Star break could also bode well for Bay's numbers, as he will offer a layer of protection for Bay in the Mets lineup.

New York will undoubtedly need Bay to up his game post-All-Star break, when playoff races start shaping up. Following Wednesday night's matchups, the Mets sit 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the division lead.

CANADIAN CONTRIBUTORS

Joey Votto: The Cincinnati Reds slugger has reached base safely in 38 straight games and continues to have a monster first half, well on his way to setting career-highs in a number of offensive categories. With his steady production and the Reds' strong play, Votto should be a lock to make his first All-Star appearance. The first baseman is hitting .313 with 18 homers and 55 RBI. His 18 long balls place him in a tie for the league lead with Albert Pujols, Corey Hart and Mark Reynolds.

Justin Morneau: The Twins' power-hitting first basemen snapped out of a June slump in a big way, collecting eight multi-hit efforts in his final 10 games of the month. He's now sporting a line of .349-16-52 and has kept the Twins at the top of the AL Central through the first three months of play.

Ryan Dempster: The Chicago Cubs right-hander has won three of his last four decisions to improve his record to 6-6 on the season. Dempster carries with him a respectable 3.58 ERA, and his 105 strikeouts are the eighth highest total in the NL. He's also logged 110.2 innings, leaving him on pace to hit the 200 mark for a third consecutive season.

John Axford: While he may not have the greatest job security, no one in the Milwaukee Brewers organization is complaining about the way Axford has pitched this year. After throwing only 7.2 innings in his first big league season in '09, Axford has stepped up and filled a large void in the Brewers' bullpen. Since taking over the closer's role from Trevor Hoffman towards the end of May, Axford is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities.

Erik Bedard: It looks like the Seattle Mariners will finally get one of their top arms back, as the oft-injured lefty nears a trip back to the majors. Bedard (shoulder) has been impressive in multiple rehab assignments and is slated to make his final start for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday before joining the big league club. Bedard has not thrown an inning in 2010 and has failed to pitch 100 innings in each of the past two seasons due to injuries. When healthy, Bedard is effective, posting a career 8.77 K/9 rate with a lifetime record of 51-41, but has made just 30 starts since 2008.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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