Angels return home to host Orioles
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels return home from a six-day road trip in first place in the American League West. The two-time defending division champions will try to stay on top when they start up a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Angel Stadium.
The Angels started their six-game trek trailing Texas by a half-game for the West's top spot, but moved 2 1/2 games in front of the reeling Rangers after winning the first four tests of the jaunt. That lead has since dwindled to a half-game after losing twice to Texas over the past two days.
The Rangers closed the gap with a wild 9-7 victory on Wednesday, with Hank Blalock's two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning accounting for the winning margin.
Anaheim fought back from an early six-run deficit and had tied the contest at 7-7 on Juan Rivera's three-run blast with two outs in the top of the ninth. However, Justin Speier (3-2) allowed a leadoff single to Michael Young in the bottom of the frame before serving up Blalock's walkoff blast three batters later.
Torii Hunter came through with a two-run double in the seventh inning to aid the Angels' comeback, while Vladimir Guerrero finished 3-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.
Baltimore is also coming off a frustrating defeat on Wednesday. The Orioles coughed up a four-run ninth-inning lead against Boston, then wound up on the wrong end of a 6-5 decision when the Red Sox' Julio Lugo singled home a run in the top of the 11th inning.
Boston's rally capped a wacky three-game series between the teams. Baltimore lost two of those matchups, but orchestrated the greatest comeback in franchise history on Tuesday. The Orioles overcame a nine-run deficit by scoring 10 times over the seventh and eighth innings for an 11-10 win.
On Wednesday, Baltimore carried a 5-1 lead into the ninth inning before faltering. Reliever Jim Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Kevin Youkilis that pulled Boston within two, then the Red Sox loaded the bases on closer George Sherrill before Rocco Baldelli delivered a game-tying two-RBI single.
The loss spoiled an outstanding start from Orioles rookie Brad Bergesen, who gave up just one run and four hits and struck out six over the first eight innings.
Nick Markakis had a two-run double for Baltimore, which received solo homers from Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton as well.
The Orioles will try to put Wednesday's disappointment behind them as they begin a seven-game West Coast trip tonight. They'll tab Jeremy Guthrie, a winner in his last two starts, to pitch this evening's opener.
Guthrie ended a string of three straight losing starts after yielding one run and three hits over seven innings to down Philadelphia on June 21. He wasn't as effective in Saturday's encounter with Washington, but still managed a victory after giving up three runs over five innings in Baltimore's 5-3 ousting of the Nationals.
For the season, Guthrie is 6-7 with a 5.11 earned run average in 16 starts. Much of the right-hander's troubles have come on the road, where's he compiled a 2-3 record with a subpar 6.96 ERA in six starts.
Guthrie has made four previous appearances, three of which have been starts, against Anaheim and is 1-1 with a 3.47 ERA in those games. He's 1-0 in two visits to Angel Stadium, though, and allowed just four runs (3 earned) over 15 innings pitched there.
John Lackey takes the mound for the Angels and hopes to build off a very encouraging last start. The burly right-hander limited Arizona to one unearned run and struck out nine Diamondbacks over seven innings this past Saturday, although he wound up with a no-decision in an eventual 2-1 Anaheim win.
Lackey has won at least 12 games for the Angels in each of the past six seasons, but is only 2-3 in nine starts this year while missing some time due to an elbow issue. He's also posted a career-worst 5.06 ERA thus far and opponents are hitting .317 against him.
The 30-year-old does own a 6-3 career record with a 3.46 ERA over 10 starts against Baltimore, although he last pitched against the Orioles in 2007.
The Angels swept a two-game series from the Orioles at Camden Yards back in April and went 6-3 against Baltimore last season. The O's are just 4-12 in Anaheim since the start of the 2006 campaign.
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<< Cardinals try to even up Giants in series finale
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<< Reds, D-Backs close series in Cincy
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same type of outing Johnny Cueto had last night, as they wrap up a three-game
series Thursday afternoon from Great American Ball Park.
Cueto tossed six shutout inning
<< Yankees hope A-Rod stays hot in finale vs. Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez is starting to heat up. Not coincidentally,
so are the New York Yankees.
The Bronx Bombers will be shooting for an eighth consecutive victory and a
series sweep of Rodriguez's original team, the Seattl
<< Braves hope to break out the brooms against Phils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves are gradually working their way up the
NL East standings and will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high
four straight games tonight in the finale of a three-game series versus the
Philadelphia
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have re-signed forward Chris Thorburn to a multi-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Thorburn appeared in all 82 games for the Thrashers last season and r
Some rebuild, USC reloads >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Within the world of college basketball,
there is a general consensus that the North Carolina Tar Heels have a huge
recruiting advantage that helps bring a never ending supply of blue-chippers
to Chapel Hill.
Creamer withdraws from title defense >>
Sylvania, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer withdrew from her title defense
at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic before teeing off Thursday.
Creamer injured her left thumb last week and had received treatment on the
injury since wi
Serena outlasts Dementieva to reach fifth Wimbledon final >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In one of the best women's matches
played here in some time, two-time champion Serena Williams snuck past Olympic
gold medalist Elena Dementieva on Thursday to reach her fifth Wimbledon final.
The second
Blackhawks sign Madden away from New Jersey >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have signed center John
Madden to a one-year contract.
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standout were not disclosed, but the Newark Star-Le
Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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