Back in first: Phillies edge Marlins to grab top spot in NL East
Baseball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Placido Polanco's eighth-inning two-out
RBI single was the difference, as Philadelphia nipped Florida, 8-7, in the
third installment of a four-game series.
The victory, coupled with Atlanta's loss at Pittsburgh, lofted the two-time
defending NL champs into first place in the NL East by a half-game over the
Braves. The Phillies hadn't seen the top of the division since May 30.
Raul Ibanez finished 3-for-4 with a homer and drove in three runs, while Shane
Victorino and Ryan Howard also added solo shots for the Phillies, who have
taken seven of their last nine overall.
Ryan Madson (5-2) allowed Florida's tying run to score in the top of the
eighth, but picked up the win by getting the final four outs.
Logan Morrison doubled twice and knocked in a run for the Marlins, who have
dropped two in a row since taking the opener of a day-night doubleheader on
Monday. Mike Stanton finished 2-for-4 with a solo shot in defeat.
Jose Veras (2-2) was charged with the loss after allowing the game-winning
hit.
In the eighth, Stanton's solo homer off Jose Contreras made it 7-5, then Brad
Davis doubled with one out. With two outs, Emilio Bonifacio singled, and Davis
scored on a Jayson Werth throwing error, which sent Bonifacio to second. J.C.
Romero came in only to balk Bonifacio to third, then walked Morrison, paving
the way for Madson. The lanky right-hander uncorked a wild pitch to score
Bonifacio with the tying run before fanning Hanley Ramirez.
Veras gave up a two-out single to Victorino, who stole second before coming in
when Polanco punched a hit through the right side. Chase Utley walked and
Howard barely missed a three-run shot that was caught in front of the center-
field wall, but the Phils snagged a one-run edge, 8-7.
Madson fanned Dan Uggla swinging and got Gaby Sanchez on a flyout to left
before walking Stanton. Wes Helms then went down swinging on a high and
outside 1-2 fastball to end the game.
The Phils broke through in the second, as Howard doubled and scored on a
Jimmy Rollins base hit.
Florida came back with two in the third as Bonifacio singled and went to
second on Blanton's error on a Morrison grounder. After a groundout moved up
both runners, Uggla plated one with a grounder to first and Sanchez added an
RBI single.
The Fish tacked on one more in the fourth as Cameron Maybin started with a
triple and scored on a Davis groundout.
Ibanez reached the seats in left-center with one out in the home half, then
the home team picked up three in the fifth to move ahead 5-3 on a Victorino
leadoff homer, a two-out solo shot from Howard and an RBI hit by Ibanez.
Florida trimmed its deficit to 5-4 in the seventh. Bonifacio walked with one
out then Morrison drove him in with a double off Antonio Bastardo. Morrison
advanced to third on a wild throw home, but Chad Durbin cleaned up the mess by
getting Ramirez on a foul out and Sanchez on a flyout.
Polanco singled to start the home half, moved to second on a passed ball,
reached third on a groundout and scored after an intentional walk to Howard on
a Rollins sac fly. Ibanez followed with an RBI triple, and the home team had
what appeared to be a safe 7-4 edge.
Game Notes
Philadelphia has won nine of 14 from Florida this season and evened their
record against the Marlins at home to 4-4...Late Monday, the Phillies recalled
outfielder John Mayberry, Jr. from Triple-A Lehigh Valley...The Phils also
scratched outfielder Domonic Brown with a quadriceps injury...Bonifacio ended
with three hits and scored three runs...Polanco had three hits, and Howard
crossed the plate three times...Philly starter Joe Blanton allowed six hits
and four runs over 6 1/3 innings, and Florida hurler Chris Volstad yielded
five runs and nine hits over five full frames.
<< Pirates blank Braves, who fall out of division lead
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delwyn Young capped a five-run seventh with
a two-run homer and James McDonald tossed seven scoreless innings, as the
Pittsburgh Pirates shut down the Atlanta Braves, 5-0, in the second test of a
three-g
<< Rays use five HRs to crush BoSox, climb AL East standings
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria
each homered and finished with three RBI, as Tampa Bay blasted Boston, 14-5,
to gain ground on first place in the AL East.
Carl Crawford went 4-for-4 with thr
<< Giants activate Mota from DL
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants activated relief
pitcher Guillermo Mota from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.
The right-hander had been out of action since August 23 with IT band
syndrome in his le
<< Tigers chew up White Sox
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings
to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 9-1 win over the Chicago White Sox in the
continuation of a four-game series.
Verlander (15-8) allowed one run on five hit
<< Rangers continue slide, fall to Blue Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vernon Wells went 3-for-3 with a pair of solo
homers and Adam Lind clubbed a two-run shot, as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated
the American League West-leading Texas Rangers, 8-5, in the second of a four-
game se
Twins blast Royals, expand lead in AL Central >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francisco Liriano pitched seven solid
innings and Delmon Young drove in four runs, as the Minnesota Twins cruised to
a 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in the middle contest of a three-game
series.
Bourn, Astros top Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Bourn finished 3-for-4 with three RBI
and fell a home run shy of the cycle as Houston downed Chicago, 7-3, in the
middle test of a three-game set from Wrigley Field.
Jeff Keppinger had a pair of
Hoffman picks up 600th save as Brewers hold off Cards >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee's two-run single in the fifth
inning proved to be the difference, as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St.
Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on a night that saw all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman
record
Clijsters and Williams to clash in the semifinals >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champions Kim Clijsters
and Venus Williams advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Tuesday night.
The two will face off against one another on Friday.
Clijsters, the 2005 and 2009
Broncos RB White has Achilles surgery >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos running back LenDale White
underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
The Denver Post reported Tuesday that White had the procedure done as the
Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Col
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Bet on NFL Football
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
NFL football gambling
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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