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05/08/2010 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Sheets tossed 6 1/3 solid innings as the Oakland Athletics took down the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2, in the second test of a three-game series at the Coliseum.
Sheets (2-3) struck out eight, while allowing just two runs on four hits. Andrew Bailey earned his sixth save.
Daric Barton drove in two runs and Ryan Sweeney and Eric Chavez each had two hits and an RBI for the A's, who have won three of four.
John Jaso and Jason Bartlett each drove in a run for the Rays, who came in having won five straight. Wade Davis (3-2) was tagged for three runs on six hits in five frames.
Despite the loss, Tampa Bay is still an impressive 13-2 on the road this season. They had won six in a row on the road coming into Saturday.
The A's drew first blood with two runs in the first. Cliff Pennington singled, advanced to third on Davis' throwing error and scored on Sweeney's one-out single to center. Kevin Kouzmanoff then doubled to put runners on second and third and Chavez plated one with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay tied it in the top of the second. B.J. Upton started things with a one-out single, advanced to second on Pat Burrell's groundout, stole third and crossed the plate on Jaso's base hit. Reid Brignac then walked to put runners on first and second. Bartlett then tied the game with an RBI double to left.
Barton's two-out sac fly in the home half of the frame handed the A's a 3-2 advantage. Gabe Gross scored on the play after starting the inning with an infield single and moving to third after two walks.
The Rays' best shot to tie came in the seventh. With a man on first and one out, Michael Wuertz replaced Sheets on the mound. Brignac doubled to put runners at second and third. Bartlett then reached on a fielder's choice, but Jaso was thrown out at home after a run down. Jerry Blevins then struck out Carl Crawford to end the threat.
Oakland added an insurance tally in the bottom of the seventh on Barton's one- out RBI single, which plated Eric Patterson, who led off with a double.
Game Notes
Tampa Bay is 6-1 versus the AL West this year...The Rays streak of 23 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run ended in the first inning...Both teams stranded six batters...The Rays are now 22-8 on the season.
<< Novikovas commits to Hearts
Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teenage winger Arvydas Novikovas has
penned a new three-year contract with Hearts.
The 19-year-old Lithuanian has made 12 first-team appearances for the
Tynecastle outfit this season and is
<< West Ham's Zola poised for crucial talks
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola is
preparing for make-or-break talks with the Upton Park club's owners next week,
after ensuring Premier League survival for the Hammers.
Zola's position has been c
<< Atlanta's three-run sixth enough to get by Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melky Cabrera drove in the game-winning
run in the sixth to help Atlanta take a 4-1 win over Philadelphia in the
second of a three-game set.
Troy Glaus, Eric Hinske and Omar Infante each drove i
<< Cubs activate P Caridad from DL
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs on Saturday activated
pitcher Esmailin Caridad from the 15-day disabled list.
Caridad, who was put on the DL on April 14 with a right forearm strain, is 0-1
with a 13.50 earned run a
Donovan leads L.A. to 4-0 win over Seattle >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Landon Donovan had a goal and three assists, as
the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated Seattle Sounders FC 4-0 on Saturday at Qwest
Field to extend its season-opening unbeaten streak to eight matches.
Donovan assist
Liverpool rules out selling Gerrard, Torres >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has
ruled out the possibility of his club being forced to sell either Steven
Gerrard or Fernando Torres this summer.
England midfielder Gerrard and Spain strike
Toronto FC rolls to 4-1 win over Chicago >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chad Barrett scored twice, O'Brian White had a
goal and an assist and Toronto FC rolled to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Fire on
Saturday at BMO Field.
Nick LaBrocca also scored for Toronto FC (3-4-0), and leadin
Fredette to return to BYU for senior season >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brigham Young guard Jimmer Fredette announced on
Saturday he has withdrawn his name from the upcoming NBA Draft and will return
to play for the Cougars for his senior season.
Fredette led BYU to a program-record
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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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