Slumping Angels host struggling A's

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07/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling American League West teams start up a three-game series tonight in southern California, where the division-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim welcome the reeling Oakland Athletics.

Oakland comes in having dropped 11 of its last 13 contests, a stretch that began with a season-long nine-game losing streak from July 6-17. Anaheim hasn't been much better lately, as the Angels have lost five of their last seven and seen their lead over Seattle atop the division dwindle to two games.

The Angels did pick up a needed win on Sunday, however. Joe Saunders tossed seven strong innings and Garret Anderson ended his club's lengthy homerless drought to help Los Angeles post a 7-2 victory at Minnesota.

Anderson finished 2-for-4 with a solo homer, the first by an Anaheim player in 14 games. Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in two runs as the Angels averted a three-game sweep at the hands of the Twins.

Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five.

The Angels hope to receive a similar mound performance tonight out of former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon. The right-hander is enduring a five-start winless streak in which he has recorded three losses, two no decisions and a 7.92 earned run average.

Colon is coming off Wednesday's loss at Tampa Bay, where he was touched for three runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. That outing was a major improvement over his previous start, when the Dominican was rocked for seven runs and seven hits in just two innings July 6 at Yankee Stadium.

The 34-year-old does own a 6-3 record and 3.38 ERA in 13 career starts against Oakland, but has not faced the A's since September 29, 2005.

Oakland's recent misery continued on Sunday, as the club was shut down by Jeremy Guthrie and the Baltimore Orioles. The Athletics managed just two hits -- both singles -- during a 2-0 setback in the rubber match of a three-game series from McAfee Coliseum.

The loss spoiled an outstanding effort from Oakland starter Dallas Braden (1-5), who held Baltimore to one run and four hits over seven quality innings.

The A's scored just five runs during the three meetings with the Orioles and have averaged a mere 2.4 runs over their rough 13-game stretch.

Oakland pitcher Chad Gaudin has also had his troubles as of late. The converted reliever has surrendered 10 runs and 11 walks over a 10-inning span in back-to-back defeats to Minnesota and Texas.

Gaudin issued six walks in six innings during Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Rangers and was charged with five runs on the evening.

Despite those recent struggles, Gaudin has put together a nice season in the Oakland rotation. The 24-year-old is 8-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 20 starts.

Gaudin faced the Angels twice in April and posted a 1-0 record with a 2.13 ERA against Anaheim, yielding just three runs over 12 2/3 innings of work. He is 2-0 with a 3.38 in nine lifetime appearances (two starts) versus tonight's opponent.

Oakland owns a 4-2 advantage in this year's season series thus far, with the rivals having split a four-game set at Angel Stadium back in April.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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