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07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians may have little hope of finishing in first place in the American League Central, but they've done a fine job of hurting the postseason chances of some of the division's top teams as of late.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the cellar-dwelling Indians head to Minneapolis' Target Field tonight to take on another AL Central champion hopeful, the Minnesota Twins, in the opener of a three-game series.
Cleveland, which came out of the All-Star break 16 games behind front-running Chicago in the division standings, started off its second half in outstanding fashion, taking all four meetings with the contending Detroit Tigers. The Tribe received strong starting pitching in each game of the series, with rookie Jeanmar Gomez continuing the trend in Sunday's 7-2 triumph.
Called up from Triple-A Columbus earlier in the day to make a spot start in place of an ailing Justin Masterson, Gomez yielded two unearned runs and struck out four while walking just one over seven innings in an impressive major league debut. The 22-year-old, who had a suspect 5.70 ERA in 18 starts with the Clippers, allowed five hits and threw 60 of his 93 pitches for strikes.
Jhonny Peralta staked Gomez to an early lead with a three-run inside-the-park homer in the first inning, while Matt LaPorta added an RBI triple later on to help Cleveland record its first four-game sweep of the Tigers since May 31- June 3, 1991. Jayson Nix finished 3-for-5 and contributed an RBI single to the victory.
Peralta gave the Indians a quick 3-0 advantage when his deep drive to center landed over the glove of leaping Detroit outfielder Ryan Raburn, whose momentum carried him through the bullpen door. By the time left fielder Brennan Boesch raced over to grab the loose ball, Peralta was rounding third and on his way to only the eighth inside-the-park home run in Progressive Field history.
"It's the first time that I hit a homer inside the park," Peralta said. "When I saw [Raburn] jump into the wall, I tried to run really fast."
Cleveland, which ranks 12th in the AL in team earned run average, held the Tigers to a total of eight runs over the four games.
Aaron Laffey will attempt to continue the Indians' recent pitching prowess when he takes the mound in tonight's opener. The left-hander has made four starts since being inserted into the rotation in late June and has gone 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA during that stretch.
Laffey's final first-half assignment resulted in a loss, with the swingman surrendering three runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings at Tampa Bay on July 10. He's faced the Twins three times in relief earlier this season, giving up a pair of runs in a span of 3 2/3 frames.
The 25-year-old does own a 4-2 career record against Minnesota, with three of those wins coming in a starting role last season, and sports a 4.71 ERA in his 11 overall encounters (eight starts) with the Twins.
Minnesota has also gotten its post-All Star break slate off to a desired start, taking the final three tests of a critical four-game home set with the AL Central-leading White Sox. That performance has moved the Twins into a second-place tie with Detroit in the standings and within 1 1/2 games of Chicago's lead.
The Twins secured a series win in dramatic fashion on Sunday, scoring four times in the bottom of the ninth inning to deal the White Sox a startling 7-6 defeat. Michael Cuddyer scored the deciding run on a throwing error by Chicago outfielder Alex Rios to cap the improbable comeback.
With the Twins down 6-3 entering their final at-bat, Orlando Hudson and Joe Mauer drew back-to-back walks off Sox closer Bobby Jenks before Jason Kubel singled to bring home a run. Cuddyer followed with a base hit to plate Mauer and bring Minnesota within one, and after Jason Repko reached base via a walk, Delmon Young singled against reliever Sergio Santos to tie the score. Cuddyer had initially stopped at third on the play, but ran home when Rios' throw eluded the cutoff man to complete the rally.
Young also had a two-run homer while Cuddyer ended 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBI for the Twins. Brian Duensing (3-1) did his part as well, tossing four innings of one-run ball in relief of ineffective starter Nick Blackburn.
"I felt a little sluggish, thought I was fighting myself the first couple innings. Duensing said afterward. "The last couple innings I tried not to do as much and just throw strikes."
While the Twins seek to build off yesterday's thrilling win, Scott Baker hopes to continue his season-long success at Target Field when he toes the rubber tonight. The right-hander has compiled a 6-2 record with a 3.28 ERA in nine starts at the first-year ballpark thus far in 2010.
Baker was terrific in his most recent Target Field appearance, limiting Tampa Bay to a run and striking out eight without a walk over seven innings back on July 2. He wasn't as sharp in his subsequent outing, though, permitting five runs and serving up a pair of homers in six innings in a July 8 loss at Toronto.
The Oklahoma State product will be out to avenge a loss to the Tribe at Target Field on April 22, when Baker was reached for six runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. He's 7-6 lifetime against Cleveland with a 3.50 ERA in 17 starts.
Minnesota took two of three tilts from the Indians in that April series in Minneapolis and is 4-2 overall against Cleveland this season.
<< AL Central-leading White Sox continue trip in Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox ended the season's first half as
the hottest team in baseball, but things haven't gotten so smoothly since the
club returned from the All-Star break.
The American League Central leaders will try to
<< Kennison retires as a Chief
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time Kansas City wide receiver Eddie
Kennison signed a contract Monday to announce his retirement as a member of
the Chiefs.
Kennison spent seven of his 13 NFL seasons with the Chiefs, catch
<< Surging Blue Jays to face sliding Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays try to make it four straight wins
when they open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals this evening
at Kauffman Stadium.
The Jays battered the woeful Baltimore Orioles this past weekend,
<< Rays try to get back on track in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wade Davis could be pitching for his spot in the rotation
when the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles
this evening at Camden Yards.
Davis struggled in the first half, going 6-9 with a 4.6
Oosthuizen soars to 15th in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louis Oosthuizen parlayed his first major
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Oosthuizen cruised to a seven-stroke win at the British Open this past weekend
and jumped 39 places f
Cubs hope to stay hot versus Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The confidence level in the Windy City has to be high after
how easily the Chicago Cubs handled the two-time defending National League
champion Philadelphia Phillies this weekend at Wrigley Field.
Chicago's chances of keep
Phillies aiming to get on track against first-place Cardinals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have handled the St. Louis
Cardinals pretty conveniently the past few years. That may change when the
struggling Phils pay a visit to Busch Stadium Monday for the first of four
consecutive matchups w
Jimenez goes for win No. 16 in south Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Rockies and Marlins have struggled on offense in
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break out at the plate on Monday night.
National League All-Star starter Ubaldo Ji
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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