Bettor's best friend (BBF): Tuesday's helpful tips


For starters, it's Stafford

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Monday that top overall draft pick Matthew Stafford will be his starting quarterback in the season opener at New Orleans on Sunday. The Lions have been 13-point underdogs for some time, and Schwartz's announcement saw the line move a half-point in opposite directions at some books.

The Saints allowed just 38 points in four preseason games and plan on starting defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant, unless the NFL steps in and upholds their four-game suspensions for banned substances.

How low can you go?

The under is 8-2-1 in Felix Hernandez's last 11 road starts. The under also has paid in Scott Kazmir's last three starts. The pitchers are facing each other for the second straight time and put together an under in their last meeting, when the total was 7.5 in Seattle. This time, the total is 8.0 in Anaheim.

The real Homer Bailey

In his last start, Reds lefthander Matt Maloney returned from a stint in the minor leagues to show that not much has changed when it comes to his inability to keep the ball in the park. Maloney allowed two homers in three straight starts before being sent down and gave up two homers vs. the Dodgers on Aug. 29.

Maloney and the Reds are +216 vs. the Rockies at Coors Field, which is first in run rate and 13th in homer rate among all ballparks this season.

Can Clijsters lose? Na

Kim Clijsters is coming off a victory over Venus Williams and is favored to win her quarterfinal match against Na Li. But the players have not faced each other since 2007, when they split a pair of matches on hard courts that each went three sets. Clijsters is +200 to win in three sets, while Li is +550 to advance in three sets.

Ricky, Don't Abuse That Number

Blue Jays rookie lefthander Ricky Romero has been better than almost anyone could have expected, going 11-7 with a 4.15 ERA to boost an injury-ravaged rotation. But he is up to 155 innings in both the minor and major leagues and is showing signs of fatigue.

Romero pitched just 93 innings due to shoulder and elbow problems in 2007 and tossed a career-high 164 innings last year. In his last five starts, he has failed to last six innings three times while giving 21 runs (18 earned) and 18 walks in 25 1-3 innings. Toronto is -108 vs. Minnesota.

Notable Quotable

"It is more difficult to plan for two (quarterbacks) than it is to plan for one. I'm not saying that's going to be the difference or not the difference, but I know that there is time allotted to that and you can't put the same amount of time into focusing on one player."

-- Browns coach Eric Mangini, who has yet to name a starting quarterback six days before the season opener vs. the Vikings. Cleveland is +4 at most books, but some have moved the line to +4.5 in the last 24 hours.