Nats win slugfest against Phils
Baseball Betting Lines
09/03/2008 -
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronnie Belliard had the go-ahead RBI
single in the eighth and Cristian Guzman hit a bases-clearing, three-run
double to put the game out of reach as the Nationals notched a 9-7 victory
over the Philadelphia Phillies in the rubber match of a three-game set from
Nationals Park.
Ryan Zimmerman homered and doubled to finish with two RBI and as many runs
scored while Guzman finished with three hits and a pair of runs scored for
Washington, which has won an impressive eight of nine overall. Saul Rivera
(5-5) got the win after pitching a scoreless eighth.
Ryan Howard belted two home runs with four RBI while Chase Utley finished with
a pair of RBI for Philadelphia, which dropped two of three in the series to
fall three game back of the NL-East leading New York Mets, who posted a 9-2
win over Milwaukee earlier Wednesday.
Starter Joe Blanton recorded his sixth straight no-decision after allowing
four runs on six hits and three walks over four-plus innings for the Phils,
while Odalis Perez surrendered three runs on four hits over five frames
without walking a batter while striking out five for the Nats.
Chad Durbin (5-4) remained in the eighth after coming on in the seventh and
allowed a leadoff single to Kory Casto. Pete Orr came on as a pinch-runner,
moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a Roger Bernadina single.
Pinch-hitter Belliard then gave Washington the lead with a single to left.
J.C. Romero entered for Durbin with one away and Bernadina stole third before
Emilio Bonifacio walked to load the bases. Guzman then stroked a bases-
clearing double to the gap in left-center and the Nats had a 9-5 advantage.
Closer Joel Hanrahan took the mound in a non-save situation in the ninth and
gave up an RBI double to Matt Stairs and a sac fly to Utley, but was able to
ultimately preserve the win.
Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead in the opening frame when Howard
deposited a blast over the wall in right-center for a 2-0 advantage.
The Nationals, however, evened the score in the next inning. Guzman got a
base-hit through the left side and scored on a Zimmerman double to right.
Lastings Milledge popped up for the second out, but Casto came through with a
two-out RBI single to left.
The Phillies took the lead in the third when Jimmy Rollins got on with a
single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored easily when Utley ripped a
triple to deep center.
The Nationals came back to take a 4-3 lead after loading the bases with no
outs in the fifth. Blanton exited in favor of Ryan Madson, who allowed a pair
of runs to score on consecutive fielder's choice groundouts from Milledge and
Elijah Dukes before getting Casto on strikes to end the inning.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Howard cranked out his second two-run
homer of the night for a 5-4 Phillies lead off the newly inserted Marco
Estrada.
Scott Eyre got two quick outs to start the seventh before Durbin entered to
face Zimmerman, who tied the game with a home run over the center field wall.
Game Notes
The Phillies lead the season series 9-6 including a 6-3 mark in Washington...
Philadelphia is 3-4 so far on a 10-game trek and open a big three-game series
against the Mets at Shea Stadium on Friday...Howard hit his 38th and 39th home
runs of the season and now has a NL-best 119 RBI.
<< Cubs' Zambrano to miss next start
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano will miss
his next scheduled start Sunday against Cincinnati after meeting with the
team's orthopedic specialist Wednesday.
Manager Lou Piniella announced the decis
<< "Thunder" in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City's NBA team will be called
the Thunder.
The franchise formally revealed the nickname and logo at an afternoon press
conference on Wednesday.
"The bold, traditional lettering and shiel
<< NCAA denies final appeal of Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Cincinnati quarterback Ben
Mauk had his request for reconsideration on his original waiver for a sixth
year of eligibility denied for the final time by the NCAA on Wednesday.
The NCAA re
<< A's reinstate Sweeney, transfer DH Thomas to 60-day DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated designated
hitter Mike Sweeney from the 60-day disabled list Wednesday and transferred DH
Frank Thomas to the 60-day DL with a right quadriceps injury, effectively
ending
<< Spurs' Ginobili has surgery
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Antonio Spurs star guard Manu
Ginobili underwent surgery Wednesday to correct a posterior impingement of his
left ankle.
Ginobili will be in a splint and on crutches for three weeks. He will
Around FCS: Week 2 - Top 25 Predictions >>
Philadelphia (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
SATURDAYS TOP-25 GAMES
Jacksonville (1-0) at No.1 Appalachian State (0-1) 3:30 p.m.
Appalachian State will look to rebound after their trip into the Bayou,
evacuating in time to avoid Hurricane Gustav
ChiSox grind out win against Tribe >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run home run as the
Chicago White Sox avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland
Indians with a 4-2 win at Progressive Field.
Orlando Cabrera drove in a run while
BoSox rally late to edge O's >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Cora scored the game-winning run in the
ninth to help the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles to
complete a three-game sweep at Fenway Park.
In the ninth, Cora led off with a si
The brothers LaRoche lead the Bucs past the Reds >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brothers Adam and Andy LaRoche each had RBI
singles in the eighth inning to boost Pittsburgh to a 6-5 victory over the
Cincinnati Reds.
Adam LaRoche, who ended an 0-for-16 slump, drove in two runs,
Blue Jays edge Twins in extras >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John McDonald's hit in the bottom of the 11th
inning sent Toronto past Minnesota, 5-4, in the middle contest of a three-game
set from Rogers Centre.
Eddie Guardado (3-4) allowed a leadoff double to Scott Role
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back
With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."
Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will Barry Bonds make it into the Hall of Fame despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .
Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportsbook.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.
|
