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With five-time champion Serena Williams out of the US Open, the ladies are going to have a heck of a time sorting out the champion of the fourth and final leg of the Grand Slam. However, here at Bankroll Sports, we have the best women’s US Open betting analysis, complete with a preview and a listing of the odds for this wide open field.

The No. 1 ranked player in this tournament is going to be just the fifth selection on the board to win the US Open. Caroline Wozniacki (+900 @ BetUS Sportsbook) The Dane has actually never won a Grand Slam event and has only made it out of the fourth round and into the quarterfinals twice. One of those times happened to be last year at this very tournament. She was the runner up. Since last year’s Wimbledon, Wozniacki has made it to at least the fourth round of every major tournament. However, the dream has ended there in three of the five events.

Instead, the favorite for the US Open is actually Kim Clijsters (+300 @ BetUS Sportsbook), the No. 2 ranked player in this dynamic field. Clijsters hasn’t played a heck of a lot of tennis in Grand Slam events, but she came out of nowhere last year to win the US Open in what amounted to be her first major tournament since the Australian Open in 2007. The Belgian miss has only played in two of the three majors this year, getting to the third round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. However, take a look at Clijsters’ last few entries into this event. She won in 2009, won in 2005, and was the runner up in 2003. In the other hard court major, the Australian Open, she had done no worse than a semifinal finish from 2002 to 2009 before getting bounced in the third round this year. Clijsters is clearly a very, very interesting proposition at the US Open.

You can never really count out Venus Williams (+800 @ BetUS Sportsbook) either. The elder Williams sister clearly hasn’t been at the top of her game of late, as she hasn’t won a major event since Wimbledon 2008. However, she has been to at least the fourth round of five straight Grand Slam events, including being a quarterfinalist three times and a semifinalist once. Williams hasn’t won here at the US Open since 2001, and she would love to add a third title to her mantle here at Flushing. If she were to pull it off, Williams would capture her whopping eighth Grand Slam title in her 13 year career.

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The odds on Samantha Stosur (+2500 @ BetUS Sportsbook) might be just right to invest in as well. The Australian has been knocking on the door of success in a big way here quite a bit on the WTP Tour of late. She was a runner up at the French Open this year and was a semifinalist there the year before that. However, her time at the US Open has been awful to say the least. Stosur has never lasted beyond the second round here in Flushing, and in spite of the fact that she is the fifth ranked player in this tournament, she has incredibly long odds to go from zero to hero in the Big Apple.

Last year’s sweetheart of this tournament was Melanie Oudin (+10000 @ BetUS Sportsbook). At 100 to 1, why not take a chance on a quarterfinalist from last year? Oudin is clearly going to have the crowd on her side, as she is a Georgia native. At just 19 years old, she is going to be loved for being an underdog, especially since she isn’t going to have a ranking next to her name when this tournament gets started. Was it a matter of luck or a prospect for success for the young American? At +10000, we’re willing to take a chance that this is a real star in the making.

Odds to Win Women’s US Open @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 8/26/10):
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Kim Clijsters +300
Venus Williams +800
Maria Sharapova +350
Caroline Wozniacki +900
Victoria Azarenka +600
Samatha Stosur +2500
Elena Dementieva +1800
Ana Ivanovic +2000
Vera Zvonareva +1800
Jelena Jankovic +2000
Svetlana Kuznetsova +1200
Dinara Safina +5000
Aravane Rezai +4000
Na Li +4000
Sabine Lisicki +10000
Petra Kvitova +6500
Nadia Petrova +5000
Melanie Oudin +10000
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova +5000
Marion Bartoli +6500
Agnieszka Radwanska +4000
Alisa Kleybanova +6500
Dominika Cibulkova +20000
Flavia Pennetta +3500
Jie Zheng +8000
Tsvetana Pironkova +12500

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We are just a few days away from the biggest spectacle in American tennis kicking off, as the top men in the world compete in order to beat the US Open odds in Flushing, NY. ATP betting action begins on Monday August 30th, and here at Bankroll Sports, we have the best analysis of the US Open lines on the internet!

Last year, Juan Martin Del Potro pulled off one of the great upsets of the season when he won this tournament. Though Del Potro isn’t back to defend his title, the man he knocked off is.

Roger Federer (+225 @ BetUS Sportsbook) might not be the same type of dominating force that he has been in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t capable of winning this tournament once again. One thing is for certain when Federer takes the court, and that’s that he is going to be around in the tournament for awhile. He has made it to at least the quarterfinals of an astonishing 25 straight Grand Slam tournaments, winning 15 of them. He had won five straight US Opens coming into last year before being upset by Del Potro in the finale, but saying that you have played in six straight US Open finals and have never been knocked out before the third round is quite the feat. Needless to say, if you think that Federer is going to be eliminated early, you probably have another thing coming.

The winner of two Grand Slam events this year, Rafael Nadal (+250 @ BetUS Sportsbook) is clearly going to be a tough cookie to knock out on the courts of Flushing as well. Since coming back from missing Wimbledon in 2009, Nadal has been to a semifinal, a quarterfinal, and has two championships. He has already cashed in over $5.5M for the year and would love to capture the final jewel of the Grand Slam season. A victory here at the US Open would also join Nadal with Federer as the only two men in currently on the ATP Tour on a regular basis to own a career Grand Slam. The Spanish hero has done no better than reach the semifinals of this event, something that he did both in 2008 and 2009.

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The huge gap between Federer, Nadal, and the rest of the field is clearly shrinking in men’s tennis, and this tournament could be living proof of just that. The third choice on the board is Andy Murray (+300 @ BetUS Sportsbook), who many think can claim his first Grand Slam title here in the Big Apple. The Brit fell just short at Wimbledon this year, getting taking out in the semifinals. Strangely enough, this has been arguably his worst surface to play on, as the hard courts have produce some early exits at both the Aussie Open and the US Open for Murray. However, his best career Grand Slam finishes were both runner up spots. He pulled that off here at the US Open in 2008 and at the Australian Open this year.

If you’re going anywhere else on the board but to these three men, you are asking for a bit of a miracle. Novak Djokovic (+900 @ BetUS Sportsbook) probably has a nice price, but when push comes to shove, he could have to run into all three of the big boys to win this tournament. All of a sudden, getting 9 to 1 doesn’t look so sharp in spite of the fact that the Serbian has made at least the semifinals here in three straight tournaments and has been to five straight quarterfinals in Grand Slam play.

If there were ever a Grand Slam event that Andy Roddick (+1200 @ BetUS Sportsbook) could win, this would be it. However, don’t get suckered into the American even though this event is being played in his own backyard. Roddick did win here in 2003 and was a runner up in 2006, but since that point, he hasn’t even made it to the semifinals here. He has only been to two Grand Slam semis since 2006 as well, with a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open and a runner up finish at the ’09 Wimbledon. Roddick was knocked out in the third round here at the US Open last year, a finish which very well could have signaled the end of his illustrious career.

Long shot anyone? What about Ivo Karlovic (+15000 @ BetUS Sportsbook)? No one is going to want to run up against the huge 6’10″ Croatian in this tournament. Yes, he has never made it past the third round of the US Open, but with a huge service game, the hard courts are made that much faster. Don’t be shocked to see Karlovic crush a ton of ace records here at the US Open if he gets on a roll.

Odds to Win Men’s US Open @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 8/26/10):
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Roger Federer +225
Rafael Nadal +250
Andy Murray +300
Novak Djokovic +900
David Nalbandian +1000
Andy Roddick +1200
Tomas Berdych +1400
Robin Soderling +1400
Mardy Fish +2000
Marin Cilic +3000
Nikolay Davydenko +3000
Marco Baghdatis +3500
Jo Wilfried Tsonga +4000
Fernando Verdasco +5000
John Isner +6500
Sam Querrey +6500
Lleyton Hewitt +8000
Richard Gasquet +10000
Gael Monfils +10000
Fernando Gonzalez +10000
David Ferrer +12500
Ivo Karlovic +15000
Ivan Ljubicic +15000
James Blake +15000
Tommy Haas +15000
Stanislas Wawrinka +15000
Mikhail Youzhny +15000
Giles Simon +15000
Nicolas Almagro +15000
Viktor Troicki +20000
Juan Monaco +20000
Radek Stepanek +20000
Jurgan Melzer +20000
Juan Carlos Ferrero +25000
Tommy Robredo +30000
Jeremy Chardy +30000

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 6/27/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 7/11/2010)

1. New York Yankees (46-28) – New York takes over the top spot, moving to 18 games above .500 and a two game lead in the American League East. The Yankees come into the rubber match of the series in Los Angeles with the best record in all of baseball. The Yankees have won 25 of 35 at home this season, and also have the largest run differential of all major league baseball teams (98). New York has seen some great production from second basemen Robinson Cano. Cano leads the team with a .359 batting average, along with 14 homeruns. After finishing the series in Los Angeles in Sunday, the Yankees will start a series with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, and then welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to town for a weekend series.  

2. Texas Rangers (45-29) – The hottest team in baseball have moved to 16 games above .500, and have a full four game lead in the American League West. The Texas Rangers made a ten team jump in the power rankings, from # 12 to # 2. Texas has won nine of their last ten, with their lone loss coming Saturday to the Houston Astros. The Rangers have seen Josh Hamilton put up not only a 20 game hit streak, but also a .348 batting average, along with 17 homeruns. Vladimir Guerrero leads the team with 60 runs batted in. Texas has the best batting average in all of baseball; .282. The Rangers will play on the road Tuesday in Anaheim, before hosting another red-hot team over the weekend, in the Chicago White Sox.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (44-31) – The Rays have fallen on a little bit of hard time in recent games, losing seven of their last ten games. Tampa Bay also saw a little of a squabble on Sunday between centerfielder B.J. Upton and third base men Evan Longoria. The team has said the two sides have worked it out, and are ready to move on. The Rays are 2.5 games behind the Yankees at the top of the American League East. Tampa Bay has been no-hit twice this season, after Edwin Jackson threw the 4^th no-hitter in 2010 on Friday night. Tampa Bay will start a two game series against divisional rivals Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, and then a four game series in Minneapolis on Thursday, against the Twins.

4. Boston Red Sox (46-31) – The Red Sox offense has started heating up, which is much of the reason they have moved up from # 6 to # 4 in the power rankings. The Red Sox offense ranks 3^rd in batting average (.277), second in homeruns (101) and first in runs batted in (401). Boston has moved to second place in the American League East, just barely ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, and 1.5 games behind the first place Yankees. The Red Sox will host the Rays on Tuesday and Wednesday, before taking Thursday off, and welcoming the Baltimore Orioles to town for a weekend series.

5. San Diego Padres (45-30) – The top team in the National League has been the San Diego Padres. San Diego has won three straight, and seven of their last ten, including a sweep of the Florida Marlins. The Padres have garnered the largest divisional lead in all of baseball, as they lead both Los Angeles and San Francisco by 4.5 games. The Padres offense has been aided by Adrian Gonzalez, and his .307 batting average, along with 16 homeruns and 49 runs batted in. The Padres pitching ranks best in all of baseball, with a .300 earned run average, along with 300 strikeouts. The Padres will start a three game series at Petco Field on Monday against the Rockies of Colorado. Following that series, the Padres will welcome the Houston Astros to town for games Thursday through Sunday.

6. Atlanta Braves (44-32) – The Braves have moved up from # 7 to # 6 with their recent play of solid baseball. After their slow start to begin the season, Atlanta has moved to first place in the National League East division. The Braves have made hay at home this season winning 26 of 34 games, while going just 18-23 on the road. Martin Prado leads Atlanta in batting with a .334 average, while Troy Glaus has provided the power; with 14 homeruns and 56 runs batted in. The Braves rank 11^th in baseball with a .261 batting average, while their 3.73 earned run average puts them sixth. Atlanta will face Stephen Strasburg on Monday in the first of a three game series with the Washington Nationals. On Friday, the Braves will welcome the Florida Marlins to town, following Thursday’s off day.

7. Cincinnati Reds (42-34) – The leaders of the National League Central are the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati was unable to sweep the series on Sunday against their state rival Cleveland Indians. The Reds rank fifth in batting average (.275), homeruns (88) and runs batted in (354). Brandon Phillips leads the team with a .311 batting average, while Joey Votto has knocked 16 homeruns over the boards, and Johnny Gomes has picked up 51 runs batted in. Cincinnati’s pitching has seen youngsters such as Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake pitch well at times, to go with veterans like Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. The Reds will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three game series starting on Monday, followed by a trip to Wrigley Field to play the Cubs in a four game series over the weekend.

8. St. Louis Cardinals (41-34) – The Cardinals failed to win the rubber game on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. Despite that, St. Louis finished interleague play with a 9-6 record, and are just ½ game behind the Cincinnati Reds for first place in the National League Central. The Cardinals have struggled a bit on the road, going just 18-22 away from Busch Stadium. Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus both lead the team with 16 homeruns, while Pujols has 51 runs batted in. St. Louis’ pitching staff has been a godsend led by Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and rookie Jaime Garcia. The Cardinals earned run average of 3.17 is second in all of baseball. St. Louis will start a seven game home stand on Monday, starting with three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then four with the Milwaukee Brewers.

9. Los Angeles Angels (43-35) – The Angels have done their part in sticking near the top of the American League West. They have fallen a bit, due to the recent hot streak of the first place Texas Rangers. The Angels have won seven of their last ten, but are four games back. Los Angeles has seen Torii Hunter lead the team with a .285 batting average, along with 51 runs batted in. The Angels rank 18^th in all of baseball with a .258 batting average, while their pitching is 23^rd with a 4.46 earned run average. The Angels will take Monday off, and then start a pivotal three game series at home with the first place Texas Rangers. On Friday, the Angels and Royals will start a three game series in Anaheim.   

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (40-34) – The Dodgers are seeking the rubber match of the three game series with the Yankees on Sunday. Los Angeles was able to win game two on Saturday behind Hiroki Kuroda. Los Angeles fell five positions in the power rankings, due to their 3-7 record in their last ten games. The Dodgers are in second place in the National League West; four games behind the San Diego Padres. A Los Angeles rank 8th in baseball with a .267 batting average, as Andre Ethier is hitting .318 with 12 homeruns. The Dodgers will head to San Francisco to start a three game series with the Giants on Monday. After taking Thursday off, Los Angeles will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a weekend series.

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11. New York Mets (43-32) – The Mets have continued their hot play, moving up from # 13 to # 11 in the rankings. The Mets have moved to just ½ game behind the Atlanta Braves atop the National League East. New York has played real well at Citi Field, winning 28 of 40 games, while on the road, the Mets are 15-20. The Mets turned around a 6-0 loss on Saturday, winning their own 6-0 game on Sunday. New York ranks 16^th in baseball with a .259 batting average, as Angel Pagan lead the team with a .302 batting average. The Mets have also seen 14 homeruns from David Wright, as well as 61 runs batted in. New York starts a three game series in Miami on Monday against the Marlins, followed by four in Washington, against the Nationals.

12. Minnesota Twins (41-34) – The biggest fall of the week in the power rankings belongs to the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have lost seven of their last ten games, and their lead in the American League Central has fallen to just 1.5 games the Detroit Tigers and 2.5 ahead of Chicago. The Twins are sixth in all of baseball with a .271 batting average, as Justin Morneau leads the team, batting .346, with 15 homeruns and 49 runs batted in. The pitching for Minnesota is 8^th in earned run average, with a 3.86. The Twins will host the Tigers for a three game series starting on Monday, and then host the Tampa Bay Rays for four games over the weekend.

13. Philadelphia Phillies (39-33) – The Phillies have heated up a bit, winning seven of their last ten games, including Sunday’s 11-2 rout over Toronto. The Phillies have shown signs of inconsistency, and have dropped to 17^th in baseball with a .258 batting average. Philadelphia’s top hitter has been Placido Polanco and his .318 average. Ryan Howard has provided the power for the Phillies, blasting 15 homeruns and driving home 55 runs. Philadelphia is in third place in the National League East, but are just 2.5 games out of first place. The Phillies and Reds will get together in Cincinnati on Monday, in the start of a three game series. After leaving Cincinnati, the Phillies will head to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates for four games.

14. San Francisco Giants (40-34) – The Giants lost the final two games against the Red Sox to lose the series. The Giants fell four spots from # 10 to # 14 with their recent poor play. On Sunday, the Red Sox chased the Giants ace Tim Lincecum, touching him up for one of his worst outings of the season. The Giants are tied with Los Angeles for second place in the National League West, but are 4.5 games behind the front running San Diego Padres. Offensively, the challenged Giants rank 23^rd in all of baseball, with 291 runs batted in. The Giants will host the Dodgers Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then head to Denver to play four games against the Rockies.  

15. Toronto Blue Jays (40-36) – The Blue Jays have fallen a bit off course in the American League East, dropping to seven games behind the New York Yankees.  The Blue Jays, after being forced from their home at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, lost two of three games to the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Blue Jays continue to lead all of baseball with their 114 homeruns, but their batting average is just .239, which places them as the third worst in all of baseball. Toronto will start a four game series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, against the Indians on Monday. On Friday, the Blue Jays will head to the Bronx to take on the Yankees for a weekend series.

16. Chicago White Sox (39-35) – After the 11 game winning streak, the White Sox were unable to come back and beat their cross town rivals – the Cubs on Sunday. The White Sox made hay against the National League during inter league play, losing just three games. The White Sox made a five team improvement from # 21 to # 16. Paul Konerko leads the American League with 20 homeruns, while he has also added 56 runs batted in. The White Sox rank 7^th in baseball with 81 homeruns.  The White Sox will look to get back on track in the win column on Monday, when they start a three game series in Kansas City. After taking Thursday off, the White Sox will head to Arlington, for a three game series against the Rangers.

17. Detroit Tigers (39-34) – The Tigers picked up a series ending win in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. In that win, the Tigers scored ten runs for pitcher Justin Verlander to pick up the win. The Tigers ace now leads the team with 9 wins, along with his team leading 4.02 earned run average. Detroit ranks 7^th in all of baseball with a .270 batting average, led by Miguel Cabrera and his .332 batting average. Cabrera also leads the team with 20 homeruns, 64 runs batted in and 55 runs scored. Detroit will start a huge three game series at Target Field in Minneapolis, against the Twins. On Friday, the Tigers will host Seattle, for a three game series over the weekend.  

18. Colorado Rockies (39-36) – After winning the opening game over the Angels, Colorado fell in their final two games. The Rockies are now 39-36, and six games behind the Padres for first place in the National League West. The Rockies have used an incredible start to the season from Ubaldo Jimenez, who is 13-1, with a 1.60 earned run average. Colorado, as a team rank fifth in earned run average with a 3.73. Offensively, Colorado has seen Troy Tulowitzki lead the team with a .306. The Rockies will start a series in San Diego on Monday, and then welcome the San Francisco Giants for four games over the weekend.

19. Florida Marlins (35-40) – After firing manager Freddi Gonzalez, the Marlins are in search of a new manager. The Marlins are certainly not out of contention, in fourth place in the National League East. Florida is 8.5 games out of first place, but have lost six of their last ten. The Marlins, despite their record have out scored their opponents 349 – 330. Gaby Sanchez leads the team in batting, with a .302 batting average, while second base men Dan Uggla has blasted 14 homeruns, and scored 51 runs. Florida will take on inner divisional rival New York on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Following an off day on Thursday, Florida will play three in Atlanta over the weekend.

20. Milwaukee Brewers (34-41) – The Brewers have made a little bit of a run, winning six of their last ten games, and moving to 7.5 games out of first place in the National League Central. The Brewers were able to get the final game against the Mariners on Sunday, behind a finely pitched game from Chris Narveson. Milwaukee ranks 13^th in baseball with a .260 batting average, led by Ryan Braun and his .301 batting average. Corey Hart has provided the power for the Brewers, hitting 18 homeruns and driving in 58 runs. The Brewers will start a three game series on Monday with the Houston Astros. After that, the Brewers will start a huge series in St. Louis, against the Cardinals.  

21. Washington Nationals (33-43) – The Nationals fell even further over the weekend, getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles. Washington led by five runs in each of the first two games, only to see the Nationals bullpen blow the lead, and lose the game. Washington is 11 games behind the front running Atlanta Braves in the National League East. Ryan Zimmerman has been the Nationals top offensive player, batting .297, while Big Donkey Adam Dunn leads the team with 17 homeruns and 47 runs batted in. Washington will start a three game series in Atlanta on Monday, with rookie starter Stephen Strasburg on the mound. After the Nationals leave Atlanta, they will head back to the nation’s capital to host the New York Mets for a four game series.   

22. Chicago Cubs (33-42) – The Cubs were able to pick up the final game of the three game set with cross town rivals – the White Sox. Chicago has seen a ton of drama this season with Lou Pinella and Carlos Zambrano’s drama. The Cubs have dropped to nine games below .500, and 8.5 games out of first place in the National League Central. Chicago ranks 21^st in all of baseball with a .256 batting average, while the pitching ranks 11^th with a 3.94 earned run average. Carlos Silva leads the pitching staff with 8 wins, and a 3.01 earned run average. The Cubs will start a three game series with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates at home on Monday.  Following that series, the Cubs will look to make some hay against first place Cincinnati, for four games.

23. Oakland Athletics (37-40) – After sweeping the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland has moved to just three games below .500. Oakland has hit just 49 homeruns on the season, which ranks them 27^th in all of baseball. Their biggest power provider has been Kurt Suzuki, with his 10 homeruns. Oakland is 9.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West. The Athletics will head east to take on the Baltimore Orioles starting on Tuesday. On Friday, Oakland will play in Cleveland, in the first of three against the Indians.   

24. Seattle Mariners (31-44) – Despite being 14.5 games out of first place, the Mariners still feel they have a chance to reach the postseason. Seattle traded for veteran Russell Branyan over the weekend, to provide some power in the offense. The Mariners have won seven of their last ten games, and have moved up five positions from last weeks power rankings; # 24 to # 29. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki is among the leaders in the American League with a .333 batting average. The Mariners will head to the Bronx to take on the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees for three games starting on Tuesday. On Friday, the Mariners will head to Detroit to take on the Tigers.  

25. Kansas City Royals (32-44) – The Royals were able to win two of three over their state counterparts – St. Louis Cardinals. Kansas City has seen some solid offense, with Jose Guillen picking up a 21 game hitting streak, as well as David DeJesus batting .331. The Royals rank second in all of baseball with a .280 batting average. Scoring runs has been the problem for Kansas City, as they have just 313 runs batted in, which ranks them 17^th. Brian Bannister has been the best statistical pitcher for the starting rotation. Bannister is 7-5 thus far in 2010. Kansas City will host the red-hot Chicago White Sox Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – then head to Los Angeles to take on the Angels for a three game weekend series. 24

26. Houston Astros (29-46) – The Astros may be seeing the final starts from Roy Oswalt in an Astros uniform. The right hander has requested a trade, and the deadline is just one month away. Houston ranks dead last in all of baseball with a .236 batting average, and their 44 homeruns ranks them 29^th. Houston is in fifth place in the National League Central, 4 games ahead of last place Pittsburgh, and 12.5 games back of first place Cincinnati. The Astros, after they finish their series against the Rangers on Sunday night will head to Milwaukee for games Monday – Wednesday, and then head out west to play  the Padres at Petco Park for four games.

27. Arizona Diamondbacks (30-46) – Despite Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter on Friday night, and winning two out of three against Tampa Bay, the Diamondbacks continue to be a disappointment in 2010. Arizona is 16 games below .500, and 15.5 games out of first place in the National League West. The Diamondbacks rank dead last in all of baseball with a 5.42 earned run average. Arizona will now head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals for a three game series starting on Monday. Dan Haren will look for his third win of the season over his former team. After taking Thursday off, Arizona will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three game series over the weekend.

28. Cleveland Indians (27-47) – Cleveland was able to manage the final game of the three game series with he Reds on Sunday afternoon. Shin-Soo Choo belted two homeruns off Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo to assist in the win. Cleveland lost three spots in the power rankings from last week, dropping from # 25 to # 28. The Indians are in last place in the American League Central, 13.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins.  The Indians will now host the Toronto Blue Jays in a four game series starting on Monday. After Toronto leaves town, the Indians will welcome the Oakland Athletics to town for a weekend series.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates (25-50) – The Pirates have fallen in six straight games, and eight of their last ten overall. Pittsburgh has fallen to a National League worst 25 games below .500. The Pirates are being out scored 426 – 245 through 75 games this season. One of the lone bright spots for the Pirates has been Garret Jones and Andrew McCutchen. Jones leads the team with 10 homeruns and 46 runs batted in, while McCutchen is batting .301, playing center field. The Pirates are starting a three game series at Wrigley Field, against the Cubs on Monday. After leaving Chicago, the Pirates will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a four game series over the weekend.

30. Baltimore Orioles (23-52) – The Orioles continue to sit at the bottom of the power rankings, despite sweeping the series against the Nationals over the weekend. Baltimore is a major league most 23.5 games out of first place in their divisional, as they have the worst record, and the Yankees have the best record in baseball. The Orioles rank 20^th in baseball with a .256 batting average, and 28^th in baseball with a 5.06 earned run average. The Orioles will look to keep their four game winning streak in tact on Tuesday when they start a three game series with the Oakland Athletics. On Friday, the Orioles will play three games at Fenway Park in Boston. 

Bankroll Sports is getting all revved up for the French Open, and we’re the home for all of your women’s tennis betting action. Today, we’re taking a look at the odds to win the second leg of the women’s Grand Slam at Roland Garros before the tournament gets started this week!

The defending champion of this event is Svetlana Kuznetsova (+1200 at Sportsbook.com). It marked her first French Open championship and just her second Grand Slam title in her illustrious career, which began in 2002. The #7 ranked player in the world will inevitably play well in this tournament and might be worthwhile to invest in. She has played in six straight fourth rounds and four straight quarterfinals at this event. However, she’s going to have a difficult draw that is littered with a ton of the top ranked women in the world that she’ll have to get through.

The favorite to win this event is Justine Henin (+150 at Sportsbook.com). Henin might be the best player in this field in spite of the fact that she is only ranked 20th in the world. She finished as the runner up in the Australian Open this year after taking almost two full years off from the sport. She has four French Open titles under her belt (2003, ’05, ’06, and ’07) and has been truly dominant on the clay courts. However, at just +150, we can’t see supporting her.

Instead, the second favorite might be one to watch, Serena Williams (+500 at Sportsbook.com). The younger Williams sister has played in nine French Opens and does has one championship to her name (2002). She was bounced in the quarterfinals last year, as she has been in three of her L/4 appearances at Roland Garros. However, it’s hard to argue that Williams isn’t one of the hottest players on tour, as in her L/7 Grand Slam appearances, she has four wins, a runner up, a semifinal defeat, and a quarterfinal defeat. She has only failed to reach the quarterfinals of a major once since the 2006 US Open.

A woman that made a real name for herself last year at Roland Garros was Samantha Stosur (+1500 at Sportsbook.com). She made it all the way to the semifinals as the #30 seed in this tournament a year ago before running into Kuznetsova. She took the Russian to three sets and had several chances to win the match before losing 6-3 in the final set. Since then, the Aussie has gotten herself up to the #8 ranking in the world and looks primed to make another solid run into the final week here at the French Open. She is 23-6 this year and had a fourth round exit at the Australian Open on her home turf.

The one thing that you’re going to want to stay away from is betting the field (+800 at Sportsbook.com). There are a heck of a lot of women that are listed here, and they’re all in the Top 30 in the world. A relative unknown hasn’t won this event since Anastasia Myskina won it in 2004.

Women’s French Open Odds @ Sportsbook.com (as of 5/16/10):
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Agnieszka Radwanska +10000
Ana Ivanovic +2000
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova +8000
Carla Suarez Navarro +8000
Caroline Wozniacki +1500
Dinara Safina +2000
Elena Dementieva +2000
Flavia Pennetta +10000
Jelena Jankovic +800
Justine Henin +150
Maria Sharapova +4000
Samantha Stosur +1500
Serena Williams +500
Svetlana Kuznetsova +1200
Venus Williams +1500
Vera Zvonareva +4000
Victoria Azarenka +1200
Yanina Wickmayer +2500
Field +800

The clay courts of Roland Garros will be on full display next weekend for the French Open, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re going to take our first look at the players in the field and how they’re going to stack up against each other for the second jewel of tennis’ Grand Slam!

For the first time in awhile, we no longer have to ask this question to Roger Federer (+450 at Sportsbook.com): Are you ever going to win the career Grand Slam? Federer finally captured the French Open, and he did so by dropping just five sets during the entire tournament. His biggest challenge came in the Round of 32 against Tommy Haas, as he had to come back from a two sets to love deficit to win 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in the final three stanzas. The 16 time Grand Slam Singles champion has played in eight straight major tournament finals, and he has made it to at least the semifinals every grand slam tourney since the 2004 French Open, a span of 23 straight majors.

However, the biggest question that is still looming over Federer’s head is whether or not he can beat Rafael Nadal (-275 at Sportsbook.com) on the clay courts or not. Rafa is clearly the odds on favorite in this event, as last year snapped a stretch of 31 straight matches worth of victories at Roland Garros when he lost to Robin Soderling (+3000 at Sportsbook.com) in the fourth round of this event. Soderling went on to lose to Federer in the finale.

Nadal hasn’t totally been himself since his elimination at last year’s French Open, as he has battled injuries and hasn’t captured many titles. He has dropped to the #3 ranking in the world for his struggles, but no one is going to bet against him on the clay courts any time early in this tournament. Nadal has won four French Open titles and has two other Grand Slam trophies on his mantle.

Aside from these two monsters of men’s tennis, there really aren’t a lot of contenders to consider. Don’t even remotely consider taking the field (+1000 at Sportsbook.com). All of the players listed are really the only ones that have a chance of claiming glory at Roland Garros. Soderling became the first player not named Nadal or Federer to be in the French Open Final since Gaston Gaudio beat Guillermo Coria in the 2004 finale.

If you’re looking to step outside of the box and take a chance on someone else, both Andy Murray (+2500 at Sportsbook.com) and Novak Djokovic (+1000 at Sportsbook.com) are going to be hanging around deep into this tournament and could pull upsets of one of the Big 2. Djokovic has worked his way up to the world’s #2 ranking, and many think that he is the future of men’s tennis. However, a 283-93 career record has only yielded one major championship (2008 Australian Open), and he has only played in two French Open semifinals. Murray won’t have the crowd on his side since he is a Brit playing in France, but the young gun did get off to a great start this year at the Aussie Open, finishing runner up to Federer. Last year’s quarterfinal appearance was the best in Murray’s young career.

One thing to keep an eye on in specific matches is that aforementioned home court advantage that Murray certainly won’t have coming from a rival country. However, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (+10000 at Sportsbook.com) and Gael Monfils (+6000 at Sportsbook.com) both will. Tsonga, the 10th ranked player in the world coming into the French Open, went to the fourth round last year at Roland Garros and has already gone to the Australian Open semis this year. Monfils, who is the 19th ranked player in the world, went to the quarterfinals last year before losing to Federer. He also went to the semifinals in 2008. However, the knock on Monfils is that those are the only two Grand Slam quarterfinals that he has ever reached.

French Open Odds @ Sportsbook.com (as of 5/15/10):
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Andy Murray +2500
Andy Roddick +10000
David Ferrer +3000
David Nalbandian +6000
Ernests Gulbis +3000
Fernando Gonzalez +8000
Fernando Verdasco +2500
Gael Monfils +6000
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga +10000
Juan Carlos Ferrero +6000
Marin Cilic +8000
Nikolay Davydenko +2500
Novak Djokovic +1000
Rafael Nadal -275
Robin Soderling +3000
Roger Federer +450
Stanislas Wawrinka +10000
Tomas Berdych +10000
Field +1000

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It’s playoff time once again for the men of the hardwood and on the ice! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re still taking our best shots at the teams, players, and situations that really cost us sports bettors in a big way in the week that was.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Montreal Canadiens G Jaroslav Halak, who blew a three goal lead and gave up this game-winner 31 seconds into overtime.

All of the home teams in the NHL playoffs should be ashamed of themselves. Not a single one of the are hitting the road up two games this week. However, the team we really need to take a stab at right off the bat is the Montreal Canadiens. The rest of the NHL hates you right now, Montreal. After all, the Habs were up 1-0 in the series after stealing Game 1 at the Verizon Center, and they held a 4-1 lead following LW Andrei Kostitsyn’s third goal of the game with just over two minutes to play in the second period. G Jose Theodore had already been ran out of the game and replaced by G Semyon Varlamov, and the Habs looked primed to take a 2-0 lead back to the Great White North. Not so fast, my friends. They were outscored 4-1 during the next 20 minutes of hockey, and then just 31 ticks into the overtime, C Nicklas Backstrom connected for the game-winner, his third goal of the game. Enjoy being bounced from this series in five games, Montreal. You had your chance to slay the giants in the playoffs, and now you’re going to pay the ultimate price for not succeeding.

Give it up for Jason Marquis, ladies and gentlemen! The right-hander has been an absolutely abortion of a signing for the Nationals on the outset of this season, as he has given up at least six earned runs in each of his starts and is 0-3 to show for it. On Sunday though, he had one of the more embarrassing starts that any pitcher has seen in this ’10 MLB betting campaign. Marquis gave up a single to Rickie Weeks, a single to Craig Counsell, a single to Ryan Braun, plunked Prince Fielder, walked Casey McGehee, plunked Jim Edmonds, and gave up a single to Gregg Zaun, and was promptly removed without recording an out. Seven batters faced. Seven batters scored. Solid job, Marquis. Your numbers for the year now? 8.1 innings pitched, 18 hits, 20 runs (19 earned), 2 HRs, 7 walks, 3 plunks, 3 strikeouts, a WHIP of 2.88, a batting average against of .419, and an ERA of 20.52. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Hey, Kevin Garnett, you haven’t cost us any money yet, but we totally see this one coming. For whatever reason, you decided to elbow G Quentin Richardson in the face with 40 seconds to play in a game in which your Celtics stormed back from a 61-47 deficit halfway through the third quarter to win by nine. Now, the NBA’s sheriff, Commissioner David Stern, is inevitably going to suspend you for Game 2 of this series (if not longer). Isn’t your team already woeful enough at home with you in the lineup that you can’t afford to take yourself out of a playoff game for no good reason? C’mon KG, you’re better than this.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to begin on Wednesday night, and the NHL betting lines at Sportsbook.com are locked, loaded, and ready to go! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re tearing apart the Stanley Cup odds and giving you our free NHL predictions for what team will be lifting the Cup in a few weeks.

There really isn’t any other place to start than with the top point scoring team in the league, the Washington Capitals (+400 at Sportsbook.com). The Caps are rightfully the chalks on the board after scoring a whopping 121 points on the year. The Caps averaged a whopping 3.8 goals per game this season and had the most lethal power play in the league at a 25.2 percent conversion rate. Playing at the Verizon Center, Washington went 30-5-6 this year, easily the best record in the NHL. However, someone is going to have to figure out how to beat the Caps there to win the Stanley Cup, which is why they’re a tremendous selection at great odds.

Perhaps the most overrated team on the board are the defending champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins (+500 at Sportsbook.com). Sure, the Pens had the third most points in the Eastern Conference with 101, but they probably aren’t quite as strong as last season’s Stanley Cup team was. G Marc-Andre Fleury could catch fire like he did at times during last postseason, and Richard Trophy winner C Sidney Crosby can always single-handedly put the team on his shoulders, but a potential draw of Ottawa, Washington, and New Jersey just to get to the Stanley Cup Finals is going to be a very difficult path to take.

In the Western Conference, the top seven teams all finished the year with at least 100 points, so this may be the spot to go with an underdog.

Just based on history alone, the San Jose Sharks (+500 at Sportsbook.com) are simply an awful wager. In spite of the fact that it feels like they’re either the #1 or #2 seed in the Western Conference every single season, they haven’t even advanced to the Western Conference Final since 2004. However, in San Jose, there’s always a belief that this is the year for the Sharks, especially since the line of Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton, which helped carry the Canadians to the Gold Medal in the Olympics, combined to score 254 points. The good news is that the #8 Colorado Avalanche are by far and away the worst team in this conference that made the second season. The bad news is that the Detroit Red Wings, who have won the Western Conference for two straight seasons, could be on deck.

If you’re looking for a bit of an underdog, consider the #3 seed in the West, the Vancouver Canucks (+1000 at Sportsbook.com). Any team that has G Roberto Luongo between the pipes has a chance of winning against any team in the NHL, and unlike in years past where it was the offense that struggled to produce while Luongo was posting fantastic numbers, this year, the Canucks 272 goals was tops in the Western Conference. The Canucks will open up the ’10 playoffs with a duel against the #6 Los Angeles Kings, who look to be one of the weaker teams in the tournament on this side of the draw.

Stanley Cup Odds @ Sportsbook.com (as of 4/12/10):
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Boston Bruins +4000
Buffalo Sabres +1500
Chicago Blackhawks +450
Colorado Avalanche +7500
Detroit Red Wings +800
Los Angeles Kings +4000
Montreal Canadians +5000
Nashville Predators +5000
New Jersey Devils +1000
Ottawa Senators +3000
Philadelphia Flyers +5000
Phoenix Coyotes +2000
Pittsburgh Penguins +500
San Jose Sharks +500
Vancouver Canucks +1000
Washington Capitals +400

It was an awkward week of sports betting action, as the start of the baseball betting season continued to cross with red hot sporting events on the ice, hardwood, and links. Here’s what we’re ranting about this week at Bankroll Sports!

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
New York Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who was the losing goalie in Sunday’s elimination game for the final slot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tiger Woods is really getting under my skin right now, and for various reasons. Not only am I irked that the entire PGA Tour betting event this week at the Masters was covered by Tiger this and Tiger that, but I also hate how everyone said that Woods couldn’t figure out how to put this together after taking six months away from the Tour. He’s still Tiger Freaking Woods. No, Tiger didn’t win it on Sunday, but he sure had his dramatic moments to finish just a few shots behind and with yet another Top 10 finish in a major. That being said, I’m still ticked that everyone spent so much time talking about Tiger that there were two stories that just totally went under the radar. Good thing that Phil Mickelson won the event, or no one would’ve ever remembered the name of the winner. I mean really… why not just give Tiger the Green Jacket, too? After all, he was the center of this whole ordeal these past four days, right? And why no love for 16-year old Matteo Manassero, who made the cut and finished at +4 for the tournament? If this kid can finish +4 at the age of 16 and make the Masters cut, maybe there’s another Tiger Woods on our hands that we’ll be discussing in a few years.

A week into MLB betting action and we already have a little bit of history… and not the good kind either. How’s about allowing a whopping 13 runs in an inning? Nice job, Pittsburgh Pirates. The 13 run outburst featured eight hits, four walks, three homers (one of which was to Edwin Jackson, the pitcher, who spent the last couple seasons in the American League), a triple, and a tad bit of miserable fielding to boot. It took three pitchers to get through the frame for the Bucs, as Darren McCutchen, Hayden Penn, and Jack Taschner were all used and all touched up. If you’re interested, through one week of play, McCutchen has an ERA of 24.30 and Penn has one of 30.86. Stellar ball, guys. Stellar.

Let’s take a stab at the Boston Celtics as well. Just a week after watching the San Antonio Spurs get destroyed by the New Jersey Nets, the C’s pulled off one just as sharp. In the fight for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, they were knocked off by the lowly Washington Wizards on their home court 106-96. Even more embarrassing was the fact that they put up 42 points in the 4th quarter and still were beaten and beaten badly. The Wiz outscored Boston 52-31 in a very uninspired first half of ball. Over their L/52 games, the Celtics are only 27-25 after starting 18 games over .500 over the first couple months of the year. That won’t cut it in the playoffs, that’s for sure.