Tigers chew up White Sox
Baseball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - 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 hits with seven strikeouts for the Tigers, who bounced back from a 10-inning loss in Monday's opener and won for the fourth time in their last six games overall. Brandon Inge belted a three- run homer and Johnny Damon added a two-run blast in the victory. Jhonny Peralta added two RBI for Detroit.
Freddy Garcia started on the mound for Chicago but left after two innings with lower back stiffness. Garcia (11-6) was dealt the loss with a line that showed two runs allowed on three hits. Lucas Harrell provided four innings of long relief and was charged with four runs -- none of which were earned -- on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
Juan Pierre posted two hits and scored the only run for the White Sox, who fell to four games behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. Chicago also saw its seven-game win streak halted.
A slugger from both teams left the game early. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera lasted six innings but felt soreness in his shoulder, while newly-acquired Manny Ramirez of Chicago exited after he was hit by a pitch in the eighth.
In the home first, Damon's towering two-run homer to right gave the Tigers an early lead.
The Sox trimmed their deficit in half in the top of the third inning. Pierre hit a one-out double and scored when Omar Vizquel followed with a base hit to right field.
However, a four-run effort in the bottom of the third moved the Tigers ahead for good. Harrell replaced Garcia to begin the stanza and the first batter he faced, Austin Jackson, reached first base on a fielding error. Jackson was then bunted to second before a two-out intentional walk to Cabrera.
Don Kelly ripped a single and Jackson scored, and another ChiSox error put two runners in scoring position. Another two-out base hit by Brennan Boesch brought home Cabrera and the rally was capped via Peralta's two-run double to right field. Peralta was cut down at third to end the frame.
From there, Verlander cruised. He worked around a two-out single in the fifth and tossed a scoreless sixth. In the top of the seventh, A.J. Pierzynski hit a one-out double, but Mark Kotsay and Pierre both flied out.
Robbie Weinhardt closed it out with two scoreless relief innings for Detroit and in the eighth, Inge provided more insurance runs with a three-run blast that cleared the wall in left.
Game Notes
Garcia failed to earn his ninth straight victory as an opposing pitcher here...Verlander upped his career mark against the ChiSox to 6-9...The Sox still lead the season series, 8-5, including a 5-2 mark at Comerica Park.
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
<< Reimold, Jones help Orioles down Yanks
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nolan Reimold hit a two-run home run and Adam
Jones had a key two-run single to back the solid pitching of Jake Arrieta as
Baltimore stymied New York, 6-2, in the second of three meetings at Yankee
Stadium
<< Gee wiz! Mets hurler sparkles in MLB debut
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dillon Gee was sensational in his major
league debut, carrying a no-hitter through five innings, as the New York Mets
topped the Washington Nationals, 4-1.
Gee (1-0) allowed just one run on two hit
<< Cabrera exits early against ChiSox
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers infielder Miguel Cabrera left
Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox after the fifth inning with an
undisclosed injury.
Entering Tuesday's action, Cabrera was batting .334 with 33 home ru
<< Seahawks re-sign Babineaux
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday re-signed
defensive back Jordan Babineaux.
Babineaux, who was released by Seattle over the weekend, registered a career-
high 105 tackles as the starting free safety last
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
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
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
Back in first: Phillies edge Marlins to grab top spot in NL East >>
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 los
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.
MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines
Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow. Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season. Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints. These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order. As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS. The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens. The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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Horse Betting
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.