Padres rock Pirates in Matos' return

Baseball Betting Lines

07/24/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everth Cabrera and Oscar Salazar each drove in two runs and Mat Latos was solid in his return from the disabled list, as the San Diego Padres dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-2, in the second test of a three-game set at PNC Park.

Latos (11-4) lasted six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits to win his sixth straight decision. The right-hander also stuck out seven and walked two. Latos went on the DL on July 16 with a strained left oblique muscle.

Nick Hundley, Chase Headley, Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Denorfia each knocked in a run for the Padres, who won 5-3 in the opener of this series.

Jose Tabata and Delwyn Young hit solo homers for the Pirates, who have dropped three in a row.

Jeff Karstens (2-6) went six frames in the start, giving up four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits to drop his fourth straight decision. He also struck out five and walked two.

Trailing 2-1, the Padres plated three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Jerry Hairston Jr. reached on third baseman Pedro Alvarez's fielding error and Denorfia walked to get things going. Gonzalez and Headley followed with back- to-back RBI singles. Will Venable was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out for Hundley, who hit a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 lead.

Pittsburgh stranded a runner in scoring position in the sixth and seventh frames.

San Diego scored five times in the eighth to turn the game into a rout. Sean Gallagher started the inning on the mound for the Pirates and loaded the bases without recording an out. His balk plated Headley. Hundley walked to load the bases again, and a rain delay that lasted 42 minutes followed.

D.J. Carrasco was on the mound when the contest got back underway. Cabrera grounded out to score a run. Salazar then knocked in two runs with a pinch-hit double. Denorfia added an RBI single two batters later to make it 9-2.

Tim Stauffer pitched a perfect two frames of relief to seal the victory.

After stranding runners on second and third in the second, Pittsburgh got a leadoff homer from Tabata in the third to take a 1-0 lead.

San Diego tied the contest in the top of the fifth. Venable singled, stole second, advanced to third on Hundley's groundout, and crossed the plate on Cabrera's base hit. Latos grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Pirates took the lead back in the home fifth on Young's homer to right- center field.

Game Notes

San Diego optioned outfielder Luis Durango to Triple-A Portland...The Padres are 22-9 at Pittsburgh since the start of the 2001 season...The Pirates were without outfielder Andrew McCutchen (right shoulder).

Wwwsend4fun Baseball Betting News

<< Busch outruns Edwards for ORP win
Clermont, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch put on a dominating performance, but had to hold off a furious challenge from Carl Edwards during a green- white-checkered finish to win Saturday's Kroger 200 Nationwide Series race at O'Reill

<< Braun hits game-winner as Brewers edge Nationals
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun drove in Rickie Weeks with the game-winning run in the ninth inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Washington Nationals, 4-3, in the middle test of a three-game series. Braun and Ji

<< Orioles' Tatum leaves with hand injury
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles catcher Craig Tatum left Saturday's 7-2 loss to Minnesota with a right hand injury. In the top of the seventh inning with the Twins' Jason Repko at the plate, Tatum was hit on the t

<< Conrad's slam during eight-run eighth helps Braves cook Fish
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brooks Conrad hit his second career grand slam during an eight-run eighth inning, as the Atlanta Braves rallied past the Florida Marlins, 10-5, in the second test of a three-game set between these two NL

<< Blue Jays edge Tigers, who lose Ordonez, Guillen
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista knocked in two runs to back a solid outing from Shaun Marcum as Toronto clipped Detroit, 3-2, in the second of a four-game set from Comerica Park. Vernon Wells drove in the other for the

Uribe hits grand slam as Giants rout D-Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe hit his fourth career grand slam and Aubrey Huff stayed hot, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 10-4 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Friday's contest, Huff went 3-for-5 with two home runs

Giants sign LB Bulluck >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have signed veteran linebacker Keith Bulluck. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bulluck, who was originally drafted 30th overall by the Titans in t

Angels top Rangers to break out of slide >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana was on top of his game in eight solid innings on the hill, as the LA Angels of Anaheim pulled out a much- needed 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the third meeting of a four-game series

RSL, Chivas USA battle to draw >>
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA battled to a 1-1 draw in Major League Soccer action at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night. Ned Grabavoy and Jose Padilla scored second-half goals just four minutes apart for thei

Saunders' homer sparks Mariners over Lester, Red Sox >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Saunders homered in the sixth inning after Eric Patterson's missed catch ruined a perfect game bid for Boston starter Jon Lester, and the Mariners went on to take a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.