Tough week for Yanks ends with a win and major loss

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees organization suffered some big losses off the field last week with the passing of principal owner George Steinbrenner and long-time public address announcer Bob Sheppard, but it was the loss of a pitcher on the field that could have the biggest impact on the AL East race.

All-Star Andy Pettitte, who's been the team's second best pitcher this season to ace CC Sabathia, left Sunday's 9-5 win over the Rays in the third inning with a left groin strain, and is expected to miss four to five weeks. Right- hander Sergio Mitre, who has been on the disabled list since June 15 and has not pitched since June 4, will start in Pettitte's place against the Royals on Saturday. Mitre (0-1, 2.88 ERA) is a long reliever who made two emergency starts in May, once in place of Pettitte, and once in place of Javier Vazquez. On May 10 in Detroit, he allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Tigers, and on May 16, he held the Twins to one run over five innings in a game the Yankees lost 6-3.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said there is no plan to seek pitching help outside the organization at this point. I'm wondering if he'll keep to that stance if Mitre pitches anywhere near his lifetime numbers (13-27, 5.39 ERA).

With Pettitte out, the pressure will be on A.J. Burnett to step up and start pitching like he did last season, when he was the Yankees' number two starter. Burnett's frustrations from his struggles peaked on Saturday, when he cut both of his palms slamming them into a clubhouse door between innings of his start against the Rays. Over his last eight outings, Burnett has been simply awful, going 1-6 with an 8.07 ERA. If the Yankees hope to stay atop the division during Pettitte's absence, they'll need Burnett to get back on track.

QUICK HITS

While the Bronx Bombers have to deal with a key loss to their rotation, their hated rival is expected to welcome back a big-time starter to theirs. Barring any unforeseen setback in the side session he throws Tuesday, Josh Beckett is scheduled to start Friday in Seattle for the Red Sox. Beckett has been out since May 18, when he slipped on a wet mound at Yankee Stadium and strained his back. I'm sure the Red Sox are thrilled at the thought of having their ace back, but keep in mind Beckett was pitching very poorly when he went to the disabled list. He managed to go only 1-1 with a whopping 7.29 ERA in eight starts and had three games in which he allowed seven earned runs or more.

Another American League division contender saw a starter go to the DL with the Angels placing lefty Scott Kazmir on the 15-day disabled list with fatigue in his throwing shoulder. I don't exactly consider this bad news for the Halos since Kazmir gave up 13 earned runs in his last outing and 30 over his last four starts spanning 19 2/3 innings.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.