Santana stellar as Mets drub Dodgers
Baseball Betting Lines
06/01/2008 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Santana pitched into the eighth inning to earn the 100th win of his career, and the Mets got two-run homers from Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church in the third, on the way to a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
David Wright had three hits and two RBI for New York, which took the final two contests of the four-game series. Jose Reyes went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, extending his hitting streak to 17 games for the Mets, who have won five of their last six contests.
Santana (7-3) allowed six hits and the lone run while striking out six over 7 2/3 innings to win for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. The Mets have won eight of the last nine times he's taken the mound.
Church, who had three hits, returned to the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a minor concussion in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Atlanta on May 20.
Hiroki Kuroda (2-5) struggled and was charged with seven hits and six runs over 2 2/3 innings, as the Dodgers lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
Matt Kemp had three hits in defeat and knocked in the lone LA run with a single in the opening inning.
Joe Torre had seen enough of Santana during his previous managerial gig, and the domination of the two-time AL Cy Young winner continued Sunday night. While a member of the Minnesota Twins, Santana went 4-0 against the New York Yankees in regular-season play during Torre's 12-year managerial tenure in the Bronx.
Santana retired seven straight batters until Juan Pierre singled with one out in the sixth. The Dodgers didn't have a runner past first base from the third through seventh innings until Pierre walked and Kemp singled with two down in the eighth.
Joe Smith then replaced Santana and hit Jeff Kent with a pitch to load the bases. Scott Schoeneweis was summoned from the bullpen and induced James Loney to ground into a force play at second to end the threat.
Pedro Feliciano retired the side in order in the ninth.
Pierre doubled to start the game and then scored on Kemp's base hit up the middle.
However, the Mets tied it in the bottom half when Reyes singled, stole second and scored on Wright's one-out single to right.
Reyes doubled with one out in the third, and with two down Wright singled to left for a 2-1 lead. Beltran followed with a towering homer to right, and after Carlos Delgado walked Church drilled another homer to right field.
Game Notes
Reyes has reached base safely in 32 consecutive games dating back to April 27...Beltran has reached base safely in his last 35 straight starts...Wright is the only major leaguer to play every inning of every game this season...The Dodgers return to Los Angeles for a three-game series with Colorado, starting Monday...The Mets head to the west coast for seven, starting with a three-game set at San Francisco Monday night before going to San Diego...Mets second baseman Luis Castillo went 0-for-5. He didn't start the previous two games due to a strained left hip flexor...Santana is 2-0 lifetime against the Dodgers. He tossed seven shutout innings, as the Twins defeated the Dodgers, 6-3 on June 28, 2006 in Minnesota...The Mets won the season series, 4-3...Schoeneweis has surrendered only one run in his last 18 1/3 innings.
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SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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